For Love
by CinderellaxVan
Summary: DONE!! Epilogue MAY come, it depends if you guys review! XD Hitomi and Van are betrothed, and neither are happy about it. However, could they learn to love each other? Both are slight block heads, and a bit arrogant XD V/H fic! Please Review! ^___^
1. Beginnings

**AN: Muahaha.... Another fan fiction! I know this idea is a bit old, but that's okay XD Please review! This is a V/H story.... ^_____^**

"Father, don't you understand?" Hitomi pleaded, trying her best to hold back the pained tears from falling. Her green eyes shone with pain, as she pleaded with her father. 

Hitomi's father studied his daughter from his position beside the tall window, letting out a sigh. She was wearing a bronze colored gown with thin straps, the tight bodice had an intricate black design on it, and bronze tulle rippled down in sheets to form an elegant skirt. Her hair was tumbling over her shoulders in loose waves, and she had no jewelry, nor was she wearing her tiara. He frowned slightly upon that, but decided to ignore the fact until later. 

"Hitomi, I know we would all like to marry out of love. But the alliance of Fanelia and Andealine will bring much fortune to us." he told her for the millionth time. 

"I don't want to marry King Van!" she yelled, stifling back a sob. It had been an old tradition for royal families to marry off their children, however it had started to die down, and Hitomi had hoped her father would let her marry who she liked. 

"You've never even met him" he said, his patience coming to an end. "You are to marry, and that's final." Hitomi threw her father a despairing glance, her eyes shining with tears. One drop made it's way down her face to her infuriation, and he held out his hand to brush it away. She knocked his hand out of the way and ran out of the room, sobbing. Hitomi's father sighed, rubbing his face in an exhausted fashion, and gazed out the window, allowing himself to forget about the events that had just occurred. 

***

Hitomi tilted her chin up slightly, as she walked down the aisle of the vast cathedral. Light music lilted through the air, and sun shone through the breath taking stain glass windows. She showed no emotion on her face, only swallowed a lump in her throat. 

A single veil shaded her face slightly, and she held her bouquet of light pink orchids in her ivory silk gloved hands. Several people smiled fondly at the Andealinian princess, in awe because of her beauty. Her dress was off the shoulder, and her bodice was decorated by miniscule diamonds. Her skirt swept behind her into a 6 foot long train, and her hair was pinned up, in her signature loose waves. She took a mental deep breath, and finally looked at her husband to be. He was wearing navy blue royal attire, with the Fanelian crest on his pocket instead of a flower like the rest of the men. To her slight relief, he wasn't horrific, he was actually quite handsome. Dark, raven black hair shaded his brown eyes slightly, but his face seemed serious, as did his posture. Hitomi willed herself not to cry, and finally made her way by his side. They turned to face each other, and his intense gaze scared her slightly. 

"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today..." came the monk's monotone voice. Hitomi looked up slightly at the ceiling, wishing someone would rescue her. She dreamt of an angel crashing through the window, sweeping her up in his arms and flying her away to paradise, away from the serious young man in front of her. Away from everybody. 

No angel came. They said their vows, and to Hitomi's disappointment no one objected to their matrimony. A chaste kiss was placed on Hitomi's mouth, and everyone applauded. Half heartedly throwing her bouquet to the crowd of single women, Hitomi didn't even bother to see who had caught the orchids. 

"Queen Hitomi" a voice came. "We must get you ready for the ball!" came one of the hand maids, curtseying nervously. 

"Alright" sighed Hitomi, too depressed to protest.

***

Despite himself, Van couldn't help but look with interest when he saw his wife come down the marble stairs into the ball room. He had changed into his red Fanelian jacket, black breeches and white gloves. Hitomi seemed to glide down the stairs, her dress made of a heavenly blue hue, a small silver crown set on her golden brown hair. There were no straps to her gown, and her skirt parted in the middle to reveal another layer of white shimmering tulle. One of his advisors nudged him slightly, and he looked up startled. 

"Your Majesty, the first dance?" the advisor prompted. 

"Oh, right" remembered Van, making his way across the floor. He extended his hand out to his wife as she made her way down the final stair. "May I have this dance?" his tone of voice showing it was more of a order then a question. Frowning inside slightly, Hitomi nodded and accepted his hand. The orchestra started, and a light waltz began to play. Supporting her back with his left hand and holding her left hand with his right, Van guided Hitomi to a traditional Fanelian waltz. Their upper bodies were completely stiff, however to the outside eye, they looked magical, gliding as one across the marble floor. Hitomi felt her heart break, wondering if this was how she would spend the rest of her life. Several other people joined them on the floor, and Hitomi longed to be in Andealine again with her friends. Instead she was stuck in Fanelia, feeling like an exotic bird locked in a cage with hawks. As soon as the music ended, Van left her alone on the floor, and began to socialize with other royal families. 

Steeling her green eyes to prevent showing anyone the slight hurt she was feeling, Hitomi took a flute of champagne from a tray, and toasted herself. _To an unhappy life_ she thought as she sat down alone. 

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the new queen" a warm voice came. Hitomi looked up to see a man with long blonde hair and friendly blue eyes look down at her. Remembering her manners, Hitomi straightened up, as the man grasped her hand lightly and kissed it softly. 

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Allen Schezar, Knight Caeli" added Allen, smiling. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you" smiled Hitomi, glad not all the Fanelians were cold bitter toads. "Please, do sit down" she motioned at the chair beside her. Allen beamed inwardly when he noticed that the queen was capable of showing life. She had looked so miserable before, and all she really needed was a friend, he concluded. 

"So, how is Fanelia's new queen?" inquired Allen, taking a sip of champagne. 

"Slightly... Caged up" admitted Hitomi, sighing. She propped her head up on one of her hands, throwing a glance at Van who was shaking hands with some pompous looking man. 

"I know the feeling" nodded Allen. "I don't tend to stay in Fanelia too long because of those old goats" he added in a joking voice. Hitomi snapped up in attention. 

"You're not Fanelian?" she asked, her only hope of having a decent life leaving her. 

"I'm Asturian" confirmed Allen, sorry for causing the crest fallen look on her face to emerge once more. "The Fanelians aren't that bad" he assured her. "Besides, I visit often, for business matters" he added brightly. "I'll be sure to say hi to you as often as I can" he smiled. Hitomi nodded sadly, and took another sip of the bubbly drink. 

"To happiness" toasted Allen, raising his glass in attempts to cheer her up. Hitomi clinked her glass against his, and echoed remorsefully, "To happiness". 

*** 

The ball ended finally, and Van, for the first time after their dance, made his way to Hitomi. 

"I hope you had a pleasant evening" he said stiffly, and she nodded, matching his manner. The king and queen made their way to Van's quarters, and suddenly Hitomi realized what they were to do. Seeing the look on her face, Van sighed. 

"An heir for Fanelia is not required right away" he told her shortly, and Hitomi sighed in relief. He opened the large double doors to his room, and tossed off his jacket while peeling off his gloves. Hitomi hastily grabbed her night gown, and slid into the dressing room, shutting the door behind her. While she changed out of her ball gown, Van stripped off his shirt, and changed into black pants made of a soft, light material. Hitomi emerged from the dressing room, clad in an ivory silk night gown with extremely thin straps to her discomfort, and she gingerly slid into bed, staying as close to the edge of the mattress as possible, as Van flopped down on his side indifferently. His wife soon fell asleep, and Van took the opportunity to study her closely for the first time. Her lips were a soft shade of pink, and they curved into a natural smile. Silky golden brown locks tumbled over her bare shoulders, and her skin was a creamy complexion. She was beautiful, but Van only saw her as a queen, not his wife. He turned over to face away from her, and shut his eyes allowing the dew of sleep to engulf him. 

*** 

Hitomi woke up, finding herself alone. Being an emotional woman, she could not just accept her life and live as a pawn in the court. However, for now, she would cope until she had the strength to care. She changed into a light green gown, with small cap sleeves, and made her way into the palace gardens. Exotic flowers surrounded her, and Hitomi couldn't help but smile. She sat down by the stone fountain, as water trickled from the trumpets of small angels. 

"Good morning, Queen Hitomi" came a friendly voice. 

"Allen!" she cried out, happy to see her only friend. "Please, just call me Hitomi" she added, smiling. 

"Hitomi it is" he laughed, sitting down beside her. "Unfortunately, I leave this afternoon" he added grimly, and Hitomi's face fell. 

"So soon?" she asked, and he nodded. "Well, there will always be next time" she said optimistically, and took in her beautiful surroundings. "I think I'll spend a lot of time here" she mused, the sunlight sparkling against the clear water. 

"It's a lovely place... Van had it built. He enjoys strolling through here quite a lot" Allen informed her. _Van?_ thought Hitomi, slightly taken aback. He didn't look like the type to enjoy gardens, he looked like more of the type to get rid of them. 

"Oh..." was all she could say, and Allen chuckled. 

"Yes, that husband of yours doesn't seem like the type, does he?" Allen smiled. Hitomi didn't feel right when Allen said 'that husband of yours'. He didn't feel like her husband at all. A husband was meant to be loving, and caring, and warm. Van was none of those qualities. Hitomi shook her head, and sighed. They sat in silence, as birds chirped lightly around them. 

*** 

Van sat in rage as his advisors tried to reason with him. 

"I will not allow my future child to be betrothed to Zaibach's next spawn!" bellowed Van, slamming his fist on the table. 

"But Your Majesty, this could bring great power to Fanelia--" 

"That's what you said when I married Queen Hitomi! That great power would come to Fanelia! And all I'm left with is a wife I don't want!" he roared. All of Van's advisors remained quiet, no words coming to their heads. "This meeting is adjourned" stated Van in a final tone, and he left the meeting room in a state of anger. 

First his advisors had bothered him about whether he and Hitomi would be producing an heir soon, and he had grown quite irritated, stating when an heir was produced he would tell them. Then they had insisted he stop helping the villagers of the capital rebuild their community, and that it wasn't his place. They had also suggested he marry off his child to Zaibach's next child, and that had caused Van to snap. Van stormed over to the stables, wanting to take his mare for a ride, when the stable boy regretfully reported that his horse was ill and unable to be taken. Van cursed, making the small stable hand jump in alarm, and he slammed the stable door shut, causing a few horses to whinny in fright. 

***

"Van?" came a clear voice. Van turned his head slightly, and saw Hitomi in her night robe, hair tied in a low pony tail. He set down his drink, and glared at her. His day had not been good at all, and he didn't need her to lecture him. "It's late, you should--" she began. 

"I don't need you to fuss over me" he snapped. Hitomi frowned slightly at him. 

"You'll need your--"

"When I married you I intended to have a queen, not some fussy twit." he interrupted once more. Narrowing her eyes, Hitomi strode over to Van's place in front of the fire place and slapped him sharply on the face.

"Don't flatter yourself, I wouldn't fuss over you! I came here because your advisors told me to!" she yelled, willing her tears not to fall, instead she steeled her eyes at him. 

"I married you because my advisors told me to!" he retorted, and Hitomi glared daggers.

"Do you honestly think I wanted to marry you, Your Majesty?" she spat. "That I was like the rest of those princesses, gushing over gods know what? Your bitterness? Your coldness? Well I didn't. I was forced into this marriage, so don't think you're the only one unhappy" she added, an angry tear trailing down her cheek. He expected her to run off crying, but to his dismay, she stood there, head held high, never leaving his gaze. Slightly uncomfortable and unaccustomed to a bold woman, Van left her alone in the sitting room before she could react, and made his way up to their quarters. Hitomi let out an infuriated cry, and stormed over to one of the head servants. 

"I'd like a separate room prepared for me to reside in" she stated to the servant's surprise. However, it was not the servant's place to question the queen, and the servant nodded, and within 10 minutes Hitomi was escorted to her new room. It was not as big as Van's, however it was still just as luxurious, and it gave her a lovely view of the gardens. As the servant closed the door behind the queen, Hitomi opened the balcony doors and leaned against the stone rail. Shutting her green eyes and taking a deep breath, Hitomi felt like beating her husband to a pulp. Sighing, the young queen shut the balcony doors and crawled underneath the clean covers, and drifted off to sleep. 

***

Van woke up at his usual alarmingly early hour, and noticed Hitomi wasn't there beside him. Cursing, and thinking she had probably gotten herself in trouble, Van slid on a white shirt over his sleeping pants and stormed into the main gallery. 

"Where is the Queen?" he demanded, ruffling his black hair quickly with his hand. 

"S-sleeping in her new quarters, your majesty" a servant timidly replied, bowing. 

"Her new WHAT?" bellowed Van. 

"She requested separate quarters last night, your majesty. It's located on the second floor near the art room." continued the servant, shaking slightly. Throwing a quick thank you at the servant, Van strode over to his wife's new quarters and threw open the doors without knocking.

"What on Gaea do you think you're doing?" the king yelled at Hitomi who was standing on the balcony.

"What are YOU doing in my quarters?" she shot back, slightly startled, but infuriated at him for ruining her moment of peace. 

"Why did you get your own quarters?" he demanded.

"Do you honestly think I would share the same bed with a monster like you?" she questioned, eyes flickering dangerously. His reddish brown eyes resembling the portals to hell, Van stormed out of the room to blow some steam off without giving her an answer. 

***

Two figures were in the battle arena, sword fighting. There were rubber pieces on the blades to avoid unnecessary injury, and both fighters were obviously skilled. The swords clashed, eventually one of the fighters knocked it's opponent's sword away and held the tip of the sword at the opponent's throat. The fighter on the floor took off the mask on his head, and revealed Jasta, one of Fanelia's best swordsman. 

"You've finally been beaten, Jasta?" came an amused voice. Jasta and the other fighter turned around to see Van in proper sword fighting attire, mask in hand, sword in other. 

"It would seem so" grinned Jasta. "Perhaps you would duel with my successor?" he smiled.

"Glad to" replied Van, no arrogance in his voice, just an easy smile, slipping on his mask. 

"King Van is an excellent swordsman" said Jasta good naturedly. 

"How about we remove the sword guards?" came a gruff voice. Van figured he could handle that, and nodded, ripping the rubber guard off his blade as his opponent did the same. 

"May the best man win" said Van sincerely. The two raised their swords, and began. Steel clanged against steel, and it was hard to tell who would win. They parried and dodged, and both fighters were on the ground several times. However, both of their recovery reflexes were good, and whenever on the ground they would spring back up before the opponent could point his sword at the opponent's throat. Van raised his sword but the mysterious fighter blocked the strike and over powered the king, knocking him to the floor. Van sprang up immediately, slashing the fighter on the leg accidentally. Not stopping, the other fighter used the hilt of it's sword to knock the king down and with a small flick of the wrist so the handle was back in the fighter's hand, the point of the sword was aimed at the king's neck. 

"Victory to the Queen" announced Jasta as Hitomi took off her mask. Van gaped at his wife, who shook her head so her hair could tumble down. 

"That was fun" she smiled, throwing her sword to Jasta. Van immediately got up, shoved his sword at Jasta and ran after his wife.

"Stop!" he yelled, but she kept walking. Growling in irritation, Van sprinted till he caught up with his wife and grabbed her shoulder, whirling her around.

"What?" she replied quickly. "Mad that a woman beat you?" she taunted. Van let out a slight noise of anger.

"I was going to see if your cut was alright" he said, trying to hold his patience. 

"...Oh" Hitomi finally came up with, surprised. 

"Come on" motioned Van, as Hitomi followed. He sat her down, and gingerly rolled up her pant leg. There was a deep cut, and there was a good chance of scarring. _Most women would probably be screaming and bawling_, realized Van in surprise. Hitomi merely bit her lip slightly. _Then again, most women wouldn't sword fight,_ he added to himself, almost amusedly. He rubbed some healing herbs into her wound, and covered her cut with a strip of bandage. 

"...You're quite the fighter" admitted Van after some silence. 

"Thank you" she said softly, looking down into her lap. Though Van was generally a cold person, he wasn't stupid. He could see the hurt in Hitomi's eyes. 

"Look... I apologize about that night. I was having quite an unpleasant day and..." he started, and Hitomi shook her head.

"No, we both meant what we said" she said quietly, and Van couldn't argue. Though from that day, he held a sort of new respect for his wife, he still did not care for her, or see her as a wife to be frank. He saw her as a queen, and that was all. He simply nodded, and they sat in silence, unsure of what to do or say. But for Van, a new respect had grown for the queen, and for the Hitomi, a small thought flickered across her mind that maybe, just maybe, the king had a heart. 

**AN: Haha, can't have them fall in love right away now can we ^_~ But there will be fluff! Muahaha...... Just have to wait a bit.... Review away! ^_^**


	2. Regret

**AN: *dances around* Even though Over My Head sucked arse I got over 100 reviews! *cries* Thank you all! *sniffs* ANYWHO, on with First Love! Hopefully I'll get lots of reviews for this too ^^;;**

**hitomi21: **glad to! Thanks for the compliment *blushes*  
**SailorHope: **Haha go VxH! XD  
**Dariel:** Hehe, poor Hitomi... But for this chapter, it's poor Van! You'll see XD   
**Magicman/Smokegirl: **Hehe, silly Smokegirl *ducks* And fluff will be coming! Next chapter I swear!  
**SabineballZ:** Ahh! I'm going on! Going on! LOL  
**LOVE WITCH: **Can't wait till you post that story ^_^ Nice talking to you on MSN!   
**MaboroshiTsuki:** Gah you nut job! Haha, thanks for the idea! I credited you at the bottom *points at bottom AN* Keep writing you goose! XD  
**Enzeru no Yami:** Haha, I know the idea's a bit old... Thanks, I didn't know I was refreshing ^^;;  
**Inda:** Haha! Yeah! Go Hitomi! XD

Still Hitomi stayed in her own quarters, and although Van was slightly irritated by this, as well as insulted, he let the matter go. Strolling through the evening breeze in the gardens, his ears pricked up to the soft sound of singing. It was a sort of sad tune, and very simple. Van recognized the language as Atlantean, something that surprised him very much so. Very few could speak it, and Van's curiosity enticed him to find out who the singer was. He followed the voice as it slowly grew louder, when he saw none other than his queen standing on her balcony, singing. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders, and she was donning a white gown that shimmered lightly. She didn't notice him right away, and he took a second to allow a small smile to slide on his face. 

"So she can fight and sing" he commented, loudly enough for her to hear. Hitomi stopped singing abruptly, and looked down at Van. Turning a rather bright red color, Hitomi was about to stride back into her room from embarrassment when he stopped her.

"Wait!" he called. Slowly pivoting on her heel, Hitomi turned back towards the balcony, and slowly approached the rail. 

"Yes?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow slightly as she looked down at him.

"You can speak Atlantean?" he inquired eagerly. She slowly nodded, and he felt impressed despite himself. _She's more than she seems..._ he realized. When he said no more, she was about to turn back inside, when once again he called out. 

"Hitomi!" he yelled. She waited for him to continue. "I...I was wondering. I know you and I haven't exactly started off on the right foot. I assume that you have been wanting to claw at my throat just as often as I have yours. But we're married, and if we could have a decent relationship, with some sort of respect, don't you agree we could live a happier life?" he suggested up to her. Hitomi raised an eyebrow.

"What have I done to make you want to claw _my_ throat?" she asked, her green eyes flickering slightly with a hint of interest. 

"Well, to be honest, you've been quite the rebel" he told her with a slight grin, "And quite the brazen one. You don't have discipline and you don't listen--" he continued. 

"You expect me to treat you respect and this it the way you treat me?" she demanded, turning to leave for good. He called her name, but still she walked towards the balcony doors. Growling in frustration, Van arched his back slightly, allowing angelic white wings to sprout from his shoulder blades, and he quickly flew up to the balcony just as Hitomi was turning the handle. Allowing his wings to retract, he grabbed her from behind and whirled her around. Their proximity was quite close, as she hadn't been on guard, she had fallen into him. Their noses were millimeters from touching, and Hitomi tried not to breathe in his scent. His eyes scared her slightly, full of irritation, rage, but underneath all of that, passion. 

"See? You don't listen" he chided her. "I never meant all those things in a bad way, Queen Hitomi. I'd rather have you as my wife the way you are then some half wit twit." he added, softening slightly. 

"You called me a fussy twit that night" she retorted indignantly, lifting her chin slightly, however never leaving his gaze. 

"I didn't mean that part" grinned Van. "Well, in some ways, I did, but a man is lying if he says he doesn't want his wife to care for him, in a fussy manner or not." Hitomi was frozen, unsure of what to say. It would have been easier if he had just insulted her, but she was not use to him trying to amend his errors. They stood there in silence, Van's arms still around Hitomi, their faces dangerously close. 

"Um" coughed Hitomi slightly. "I should... Be getting some sleep now" she trailed off. Van nodded and released her. Surprised that he was following her in, Hitomi turned to him. "Your Majesty?" she questioned, slightly confused, and an uncomfortable feeling crept on her. Van shook his head and smiled.

"You won't mind if I go through your room to mine" he remarked, and Hitomi was about to retort that she wasn't going to let him order her about when she noticed he was grinning casually, showing her he was teasing her. 

"Um.... Alright then" she stuttered. 

"Good night, Queen Hitomi" he laughed slightly.

"Good night" she replied hesitantly. "Van, wait" she called out. He stopped and looked at her. "How... How did you get up on the balcony?" she asked, curious. He merely smiled and kept walking. Frowning slightly, she shut the door gently. Taking a deep breath, she strode across the carpeted floor, closed the balcony doors shut and flopped onto her bed, confused about the previous events. 

***

"I don't have the time for a ball!" Van yelled at his advisors, who had edged away slowly from Van's position at the head of the table. 

"Your Majesty, Fanelia has not hosted a ball in ages, and you need to keep up your social standing" one of the advisors tried, shaking with fear. 

"Was the ball at my wedding not enough?" Van demanded, running his hands through his raven black hair. 

"King Van, if you would just grant us this favor..." one of the advisors started, when Van slammed his fist on the table and took a deep breath.

"Alright. Alright. This one favor I shall grant you. I at least owe it to you that you did not marry me off to some half brained narcissus" relented Van after a moment. The advisors looked at their King in shock, but knew it was wise to keep their mouths shut. 

"We shall begin preparations immediately, Your Majesty. We suggest you spend time with your wife, as you will have to..." the advisors trailed off. Van shot them all a look that could kill. "...That is to say, during the _ball_ you will have to.... Er... _Dance_ with her more often" they added quickly, rigid with fear. Van nodded, and left the room without a further word. 

***

Hitomi looked into her reflection in the full length mirror. The hand maids had finally left her alone, and she hated to admit it, but they had done a good job. Her hair was up, soft wisps of hair accenting her face. Her gown was crimson red, the traditional Fanelian color, and the bodice had an intricate black glass bead design in the pattern of roses. Turning slightly to the side, the skirt swished slightly, revealing fashionable under layers of black and scarlet. To Hitomi's protests, they had added a slight bit of color to her pink lips, and dotted her cheek bones with a cream that caused the light to catch on it. Slipping on white elbow length gloves, Hitomi sat down on her bed, careful not to muss her skirt. 

Van sighed as he slipped on his white gloves, his red Fanelian jacket on. He wore similar black breeches to his wedding, however these breeches had a thin gold stripe running down the side. His hair was still wild and disheveled, no matter how much the hand maids had fussed over him his hair would not budge. Knocking curtly on the door to his wife's room, Van gasped when she greeted him. 

"You....Look nice" he gulped, and she smiled at him.

"Your Majesty doesn't look too ill himself" she replied, linking her arm through his. They descended down the stairs, and finally made their way to the ballroom. A guard opened the door hurriedly for the King and Queen, and there was the sound of trumpets as the two made their way down the white marble stairs. 

"His and Her Majesty, King Van and Queen Hitomi of Fanelia" came the announcer's voice. There was applause, and the crowd eventually turned back to socializing. 

"Dryden" smiled Van broadly, greeting a man in blue royal attire, who was affectionately looking at who Hitomi supposed to be his wife. Van shook hands with Dryden, and took Dryden's wife's hand and kissed it. 

"Always a pleasure to see you, Millerna" he said good naturedly, and Millerna smiled. 

"And this must be the beautiful Queen Hitomi" Millerna realized, and Hitomi blushed. "I must say I do like the traditional Fanelian ball gown better than the Asturian one, Dryden" teased Millerna, impressed by Hitomi's dress. Millerna's own was stunning as well, it was a light lavender color, but instead of a black glass bead design on the bodice, there was a white design using silk thread. 

"We can't all have what we want" chuckled Dryden, kissing Millerna lightly on the cheek. "So, Van's told us quite about you, Hitomi" he said comfortably. Van turned a slight red hue. 

"I... Told them, rather, about your particularly impressive swordsmanship...." he coughed stiffly, and Hitomi merely smiled. 

"Really?" she beamed, a faint blush creeping on her visage. "I'm quite fascinated by swords" she added.

"She's also capable of speaking Atlantean" Van added before he could stop himself. He made a mental note to sew his mouth shut later. 

"Really?" asked Dryden, interest sparking in his eyes. "The only person I know who's capable of speaking that language is you, Van, with the addition of myself of course. You have quite the wife there." Hitomi blushed slightly. 

"I'm quite fascinated by their history, I've always wanted to learn more about them..." she mused. 

"You're welcome to visit us anytime to browse my library" smiled Dryden warmly, and Hitomi beamed back.

"We'll make it an occasion" she smiled, when a voice interrupted them. 

"Would all the royal families make their way to the dance floor to commence the first dance?" The four made their way to the floor, and a traditional Fanelian song struck up. 

Holding Hitomi's back rigidly and interlacing his gloved fingers with hers, they began to dance seamlessly with all the other Kings and Queens. Van's mind was else where, and he was thinking about how he could improve the villager's houses, while Hitomi was pondering about what she could find in Dryden's library. Then it hit her, she hadn't even bothered to look in the palace's library. Smiling at herself, as she had found herself another thing to occupy herself with during the tiresome days, Hitomi continued to move as one with her husband. Neither of the two was really paying attention to the other, and they were both rather thankful when the song ended. Van and Hitomi separated ways, and Hitomi found herself striking up a small conversation with Millerna. 

"The dragon dance is about to start" beamed Millerna excitedly, motioning at the dance floor. 

"I beg your pardon?" asked Hitomi, unaccustomed to old Fanelian rituals and traditions. 

"The dragon dancers perform this dance once a year, to acknowledge the Ispano guymelef, Escaflowne, and it's greatness" whispered Millerna softly, looking fondly as the dancers set up the area. "Will you participate?" asked Millerna suddenly, eyes shining. 

"I...I don't know how" admitted Hitomi, and Millerna merely waved her hand. 

"It's easy. All the other Kings and Queens never do it, they're too stuck up" she giggled, and Hitomi nodded, grinning. "Everyone always looks at me oddly, I'm the only one who ever does it" Millerna pleaded. "Please? It's great fun!" Hitomi didn't need further coaxing, and the two women smiled broadly. 

"Van will probably kill me for this" laughed Hitomi as they made their way to the center of the room as the rest of the royalties moved to the edges. 

"It's better if you take off your shoes" whispered Millerna, as she tossed off her own shoes, and Hitomi followed suit. 

"What on Gaea is she doing?" asked Van in a sharp whisper to Dryden, regarding Hitomi who was standing with Millerna among the other dancers. 

"I guess Millerna persuaded her to take part in the dragon dance" smiled Dryden, a bemused expression on his face. It was quite a sight, about 50 dragon dancers, all donning black bodices with billowy red skirts, and two queens in the middle, all of them in the ready stance. A loud drumming noise started, and all dancers span to the right, then to the left, moving their arms in a circular motions. Van was about to run out to the middle of the floor to stop his wife, but Dryden stopped him. 

"You know, ALL the royalties _are_ -allowed- to be doing this, so let them be" Dryden laughed at Van's angry expression. "They're not doing anything wrong.... Technically." Van huffed indignantly, and crossed his arms, as more music began to start, growing faster and wilder. The skirts were turning and flashing, and many of the royalties in the crowd smiled in awe at the complex turning as the dancers weaved in and out of each other, stomping their feet occasionally, and Dryden looked affectionately at Millerna who was rolling her torso in a rather risqué fashion, mimicking the other dancers. Hitomi wasn't doing too bad of a job herself, Van grudgingly admitted to himself, and it was sort of nice to see her happy and laughing, flushed with life. With a final bang of the drum, all the dancers froze, and everyone erupted in applause. They all relaxed, and Millerna grabbed her shoes and flung herself into Dryden's arms, laughing with delight. 

"That was the best dragon dance ever!" she giggled, brushing a few strands of stray blonde hair away from her face. Hitomi soon appeared by Millerna's side, face flushed slightly, hair falling out of it's place. With a huff of slight impatience, Hitomi lifted her hand, her brow creased slightly in concentration. Suddenly her expression brightened, and she pulled out a pin, allowing her hair to fall down. Several other single men in the crowd gawked at Hitomi, as the sheet of heavenly silk tumbled over her milky shoulders, and they smiled idiotically, reminiscing the way she had turned and rolled her body on the dance floor, gracefully, yet boldly. Van looked nonchalantly over the Queen's shoulder, and noticed his advisors mouthing for him to dance with her. Sighing, he fixed his gaze back on Hitomi, and extended his hand. 

"Would you like to dance?" he asked, almost tiredly, and she nodded, accepting his hand. As the music struck up, a slight heat crept through Hitomi as Van pulled her body closer to his. They moved softly, slowly, as the lights seemed to dim around them. The night was no longer young, and soon people were no longer laughing, socializing, rather they were in their loved one's arms, relaxing, enjoying the atmosphere. 

"I'm rather unhappy about your earlier behavior" stated Van, breaking the lulling daze Hitomi was in. Her senses sharpened slightly, the warm feeling disappearing like a candle in the wind. 

"The dragon dance?" asked Hitomi, already sure that's what it was. Van nodded his head slightly. 

"Well, I don't see what you have to be unhappy about, Your Majesty. Unless Millerna misinformed me, all the royals are permitted to participate in the dragon dance. You, yourself, have piloted the Ispano guymelef. I am surprised that you would look down upon the dance." 

"I rather enjoy the dance, thank you very much, my Queen" articulated Van, "But seeing my wife dance among those lowly--" he continued, when he noticed she stiffened considerably in his hold. 

"Lowly? Lowly dancers? I'm sorry, but I hold much more respect towards them then I do to you" she seethed into his ear. "And if I'm not mistaken, you help the villagers as often as you can. I actually was proud of you, instead of being too stuck up, you help your people, despite what your advisors tell you. But I suppose I was wrong because you scold me for dancing with them!" 

The song ended, as if on cue, and Hitomi wrenched herself from Van's grip before he could react. Half thankful she hadn't caused a scene, he ran after her. He burst through the grand doors, and she was nowhere in sight. He searched the halls, and from a helpful servant's directions, made his way to the gardens. He had just stepped through an arc of lilies when he heard his wife's voice. 

"Hitomi, are you alright?" came a male voice. Van stopped dead in his tracks, and peered cautiously at his wife and who he recognized as Allen Schezar. 

"He's horrible! Just horrible!" he heard his wife yell. "I have had such a hard time getting used to this... This marriage! And finally, I have fun at the ball, dancing, and he gets angry at me!" 

"Now, Hitomi... I'm sure King Van--" tried Allen, unsure of what to do or say. 

"He's so cold hearted, Allen! He shows no warmth at all! A monster! How does he expect to produce an heir?" she cried. "I can put on a smile, it's not hard to do. I've tried to be pleasant. There was even times I thought that this might be able to turn out nicely. But I was wrong! He's nothing but... But...." he heard her trail off, sobbing. Van's heart shattered slightly. He felt dizzy, and took a deep breath. "Why must my life be like this? Why must I live with a man I hate?" she whispered. 

_Does she really think I'm a monster? That I'm cold hearted?  
It's true you haven't been very nice to her, Van. She has a right to hate you. _

Van recalled their wedding day. He hadn't smiled at her when she walked down the aisle, had merely put on a masked expression. Hadn't made her feel welcome. At the ball, he had danced with her once, and left her alone. Alone in a foreign country. He had never asked her how she was feeling. Not once. When they passed each other in the halls or seen each other in the garden, he had merely kept walking, not greeting her in any manner. He had snapped at her when she asked him to go to bed, worried about his well being. He had danced with her twice at this ball, not looking her in the eye once, and he had yelled at her for taking part in a Fanelian ceremony. 

There was a hollow feeling in his chest, and a great wave of guilt washed over him. Hitomi looked up when she heard a noise, and saw noticed Van staring at her, brown eyes clouded with what she thought was hurt, but what was really apology and self loathing. He turned and left, sprinting away from the scene. Allen patted Hitomi gently on the back, and she involuntarily lifted her hand to where Van was standing before. Curling her fingers back in, and letting her arm drop back down on her lap, Hitomi sniffed, staring up at the two moons hanging up in the sky. Her words rang in her ears, and she instantly regretted them. True, she was angry at her husband for his manner, but she never thought once that she actually _hated_ him. Shaking her head, and thanking Allen for a listening ear, Hitomi made her way back up to her quarters, and slipped into her satin nightgown, allowing sleep to wash away her troubles for the moment. 

**AN: Poor Van, even though he was a bit of an icecube XD But we all know that they will eventually fall in love ^_^ I swear *cowers from fluff lovers* Next chapter there will be fluff! I just can't have them make out randomly! Well, I -could- but then *cowers from tomatoes being thrown at her* Ahh! Next chapters coming! Gah! Tomorrow's my last day for exams, so then expect lots of updates ^_^ I just bought the Escaflowne DVD off Ebay, FINALLY. I've been living off my friend's copy for so long ^^;; Thanks to MaboroshiTsuki for the idea when I was stumped (the Van over hearing Hitomi yell about him) Go Anne! XD **


	3. Break

**AN: *restrains self from dumping a mountain of fluff on the story* Must... Take.... Things.... Slowly..... So hard to do XD I don't want to turn this into an action fic, because since I've only just begun fan fiction, I'm focusing on romance for a while until I branch out XD Hehehe.... Thank you to all who reviewed!**

**Enzeru No Yami: ***cowers* Aiee! Sorry! Twas a mistake! o_O;;   
**MaboroshiTsuki:** Muahaha, I'm going to create a bit of conflict later with pretty boy XD  
**Aeka-Himme: **Hehe, thanko! You continue your fic now ^_~ I 3 it! And the fluff! The wonderful fluff ^_^  
**Sailor Centauri:** Haha, good old Van ^_^ Thanks, although this idea isn't very original ^^;;  
**Ash Night:** Haha ^^;; Nice to know I brightened someone's day ^-^ You cried? I didn't know I could do that @.@ Hehe, thanks I'm waiting for it in the mail XD  
**xdread:** Haha here's your update!  
**Inda:** Hehe, Van's lightning up in this chapter ^-^  
**LOVE WITCH: **Haha! I'm going to create a bit of conflict with barbie man later *cackles* Now you scoot along and write Drunk Love! XD  
**Story Teller: **Haha thanks! ^___^ I don't have uniforms ;_; Although I do think they'd make my life easier ^-^ I think they're cool! *suddenly wants uniforms badly* Like Hitomi has a uniform XD in the series ^^;;  
**lazy_girl: **Haha *shoves chapter at lazy_girl* Don't go insane! XD And as for their age.... I'd say around early 20's ^_^  
**jess131346: **Here ya go!  
**Dariel: **Hehe Hitomi apologizes ^_^ Muahaha, but Allen is going to make Van a little insecure in the future ^_~ Got conflict? LOL *sorry i'm drinking milk O_O*  
**Magicman/Smokegirl: **Muahah Smokegirl will have to kill Allen later because he causes some more strain on the oh so delicate relationship of Van and Hitomi XD  
**Fushizen Na: ***blushes* T-thanko! *doesn't know what to say, is very embarrassed* Um.... *waves shiny object in the air* XD  
**van lover: **Haha, I love your name! XD Hehe, here's your update! ^____^  
**Ink:** Hehe, yes, Hitomi's not very good with confrontation XD But she'll have to get over that fear in this chapter! XD  
**luna: ***blushes like crazy, looks like a tomato* Thank you ^^;; 

**AN: ATTENTION EVERYONE!!!! If I start to go overboard on the fluff too early, DO tell me! I'm a fluff maniac so I can't tell if I'm rushing it or not ^^;; Thanko! ^_^ **

_"I've walked so long I can't remember - where was my home?   
Their distance faces fade away I'm always on my own.   
I can show a smile It's not hard to do.   
I can have the strength to go on   
But sometime I wanna let go of everything..."_

Van sat alone at the top of the grassy cliff, staring up at the clouds. A serious expression was on his face, and the wind rippled against his red tunic. With a rough gloved hand, he brushed some of the strands of hair that had fallen in his face away. 

_Am I really like that? Cold? A monster? Gods, please tell me. _

There was a slight rustling behind him, and Van turned around to find Hitomi clutching a wreath of daisies, looking at him, startled. 

"I'm... Sorry, I didn't know you were here--" she began hurriedly, green eyes frightened.

"It's alright" he interrupted quietly, then moved his gaze to the rising sun. A warm glow seemed to engulf his country, and a gentle breeze brought the scent of flowers into his nose. 

"Fanelia's beautiful" Hitomi said sincerely, and Van gave her a happy, but tired look. Hitomi stood there, unsure of what to say, and slowly, hesitantly, sat down beside Van on the grass. 

"Van... I'm sorry about last night." She said finally after mustering up the courage and tossing aside her pride. 

He didn't say anything at first. Not for a long time. Then, with a heaving sigh he spoke. 

"But you're right" he smiled sadly out into the scenery. "_I_ should be the one apologizing." 

This was one of those moments where Hitomi had caught Van off guard, one of the moments where she really wondered about him. 

Their elbows were only just grazing, but even then so there was a slight jolt when their bare skin brushed against each other. 

"I know I've been a horrible husband. Most women wouldn't even call me a husband" he said after a while. "And I should have been more appreciative for having you as a wife." he sighed. "You seem so confident. Strong. I didn't think my behavior could effect you. I always assumed you were miserable because of _me_, not miserable because of my _ behavior_" Hitomi looked down into her lap. 

"We all have feelings" she said quietly. "And I should have considered yours last night. I didn't mean what I said. I... Don't hate you, not at all." Hitomi looked up to see his reaction for her next words. She wondered if she should say them. Gathering a courage inside her, and preparing herself for a world of hurt, she let the worlds tumble out. "I think I could like you very much so if I got to know you" 

Van smiled. A real smile, one that reached his eyes, one that melted Hitomi's heart. One that made her feel like it would be alright. 

"Do you really think so?" he questioned. Hitomi nodded, and Van took a deep breath and spoke. 

'Then I'd like to get to know you." 

***

Over the next month, not much happened with the couple, except that they interacted more. Slowly but surely, each person lowered their guard more and more around the other. One day, Van approached Hitomi in the garden, coughing slightly. 

"Oh, hello" she greeted, turning to face him. 

"Um, hello... I was wondering, tomorrow I'm going to help the villagers" he mumbled, ruffling his raven black hair. "And I was wondering if you'd like to come" Hitomi's face lit up. 

"I'd love to" she replied, and Van visibly relaxed. 

"Sounds great" 

***

They had been working for about 4 hours now, and Van and Hitomi were covered in dirt. As they repaired the humble stone walls of several houses, Van somehow managed to keep all the children entertained at the same time. They all surrounded him, with starry eyed expressions, as he told them about dragons and princesses. 

"You mean like Queen Hitomi?" asked a little girl.

"Yes, just like Queen Hitomi" Van smiled warmly at her. The girl smiled, wedged herself between Van and Hitomi, her cheeks rosy. 

"What's that stuff your spreading on the stones?" she wondered out loud. Van patiently explained how the mortar was made, and all the children were wowing as Hitomi smiled. _He's going to make a good father._ A little boy came running towards the small crowd of children that had gathered around the king and queen.

"My daddy said that it's time for lunch" he exclaimed, and all the children went scurrying towards the direction the boy was pointing at. Van smiled at Hitomi, helping her up from her crouching position with his hand. 

Lunch was bread and cheese, and Hitomi's heart saddened as the villagers explained how their village was set on fire by a bunch of trouble makers. 

"That's horrible" she said slowly. There was a look of a sort of hopeless remorse on the villagers' faces. 

After a bit of silence, conversation slowly started up again. "This bread is delicious" commented Hitomi, ripping off another piece of her loaf and dipping it in the heated cheese. The village women smiled. 

"It's quite a simple recipe" one said. "Perhaps we'll give you the recipe before you go?" 

"Would you?" Hitomi asked, excitedly. The woman nodded. "Oh, thank you!" she beamed. 

Soon Hitomi had made her mark on the villagers as much as Van had, and the villagers smiled fondly at their king and queen, proud. 

"So, any plans for an heir yet?" one of the women chuckled. Van and Hitomi turned bright red, and Van mumbled something along the lines of 'I don't know yet'. The rest of the quaint meal was in silence, the villagers laughing inside at Van and Hitomi, who had moved apart slightly, blushing deep red, stuffing their mouths with bread. 

*** 

Night was falling, and the village was just about done. 

"We should be able to finish it off by ourselves tomorrow" one of the men smiled. "King Van, and Queen Hitomi. We thank you so much for your help." Van and Hitomi smiled, and waved goodbye as they rode off towards the palace. They had worked extremely hard, especially Hitomi, to Van's surprise. He was guilty of taking a few breaks to tell the children stories, however Hitomi kept working, never stopping. The sun had beat down upon them, and the smell of the mortar wasn't very pleasant. Van had been working on the village for about a month, but he never recalled day when so much had been accomplished. Van looked over at his wife, who was having trouble keeping awake. He smiled, as the horses clip clopped down the rough road. 

"I wonder what your advisors will say" mused Hitomi exhaustedly. 

"Oh, same as every time. They'll give me a long lecture and tell me never to do it again. And I'll promise and do it again" he grinned. Hitomi laughed softly. Her eyelids drooped, and she stifled a yawn. The stars were beginning to emerge, and you could see the two moons hanging in the sky. Van smiled at his wife, as her eyelids fluttered with drowsiness, and he felt proud. Proud to have her as his wife. 

They finally arrived at the palace, and Van gave the horses over to the stable boy. Then heaving a near unconscious Hitomi over his shoulder, he made his way up the stairs to her quarters. His eyelids were drooping as well, and he gently nudged the door of her room open with his foot and stepped inside, flopping her down on the soft mattress. He gently tugged her shoes off, and kneeled down beside the head of the bed to untie her hair. Loosening the pin that held it up, he placed it on the night stand, and found himself allowing his head to rest on the mattress near her face. _Just... One minute... And I'll leave_ _and....._

*** 

Hitomi slowly woke up from her contented slumber. A smile played on her lips as she stretched against the clean sheets, and she flopped onto her side, to come face to face with Van. A scream was caught in her throat, and she faintly recalled him carrying her up to her bed after the day with the villagers. He was kneeling beside the head of her bed, and his head rested on his arms as he lay-- no rather, sat, sleeping. Stifling giggles, Hitomi gently heaved Van from the floor onto her bed, and laughed at the imprint of the carpet which was on his skin. 

"I'm only going to get breakfast" she whispered softly at his sleeping figure, and she gently shut the bedroom door behind her. 

*** 

Van woke up to a rather feminine scent in his nose, a scent that only a tiny part deep inside of him registered as Hitomi's. Rubbing his brown eyes, he took in his surroundings, and noticed that he was in Hitomi's room. The previous night dawned on him, and he flopped his head back onto her pillow, groaning when he noticed how long he had been sleeping. 

"So the dead has awoken?" came an amused voice. Van's eyes flew open to see Hitomi munching on a snow pear, a devilish twinkle in her eyes. 

"I didn't know I was sleeping for so long" Van yawned to Hitomi's amusement. "Why didn't you wake me up?" he added, stretching his arms. 

"You looked so peaceful sleeping I didn't want to disturb you" she smiled, and he ruffled his hair. 

"King Van, your advisors request a meeting with you immediately" came a servant's voice after knocking on the door. With a growl of frustration, and telling the servant he'd be there in a minute, Van buried his face into the mattress. 

"Want to pretend to be me and go?" he complained, and Hitomi sat down beside him on the bed. 

"It can't be that bad" she smiled, and he groaned. Shutting his eyes for a brief moment and then reopening them, he heaved himself over to his dressing room and slipped on tan breeches and a white shirt. Striding into the meeting room, he sat down in his seat. 

"You requested to speak to me?" he asked, no edge in his voice. His advisors looked at the king oddly. The king? Not looking at them with utter loathing? 

"Um... Yes, Your Majesty. We have been talking and.... It has been quite some time since you and Queen Hitomi were married." 

"Your point?" questioned Van, allowing his advisors to continue. 

"Well, the thing is, Fanelia needs an heir." the advisors eventually told him. 

*** 

Hitomi smiled as she walked towards the meeting room, ready to announce the arrival of a cat girl named Merle. _Van should be happy for an excuse to stop the meeting_ she thought to herself, and cautiously she opened the meeting door soundlessly to find her husbands and his advisors deep in conversation. 

"...We are aware of your feelings of resentment and dislike towards Queen Hitomi, however an heir must be produced, King Van. We understand how uncomfortable it may be, to push aside ones feeling of abhor, but we have faith in your abilities. " one of the advisors spoke. Hitomi froze. 

_...Resentment? Dislike? Abhor?_

Ice seemed to travel down Hitomi's body, and Van noticed Hitomi standing by the doorway. 

"Hitomi!" he yelled as she turned and sprinted out the doors. 

"You idiots!" he bellowed at the advisors. "Who are you to dictate my feelings for the Queen?" Getting out of his chair as his advisors cowered beneath the thunderous king, Van chased after Hitomi. He wasn't surprised as she was headed towards the gardens. 

"Hitomi!" he called once more, grabbing her shoulder. 

"Is that why you spent time with me?" she demanded, angry tears trailing down her face. "To produce an heir? Was that all an act?" 

"Hitomi, of course not!" he replied, desperate to make her understand. 

"I thought things would be alright, but it turns out all you want to do is get a baby out of me for your kingdom!" she cried, hastily wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. She turned away from him, shaking slightly. 

_At least you know, Hitomi. Before you gave your heart to him. _

"First of all, it's our kingdom, not mine" Van pointed out. "Second of all, if I wanted an heir as badly as my advisors do I would have already tried to get one on our wedding night" Hitomi sniffed, not feeling much better at all. 

"Look" he softened, turning her around gently to face him. "I'm not very good with words. But what my advisors said was not true" 

"How do I know if you're lying to me or not?" she asked, her cheeks and nose red, a single tear trailing down her face, her head bowed down slightly. Van gently used his thumb to brush it away, and put one hand on each of her slender shoulders. He sighed, several possible scenarios running through his head. Each one sounding more unconvincing then the last. 

_How do I make her understand? _

**AN: *cackles evilly* You know, I COULD make him kiss her, but then that would be too easy XD Nope, Van's going to have to be stupid and try something else ^_^ Please Review! ^____^ **


	4. Apology

**AN: @_@ I'm brain dead. This took SO much energy out of me, it's impossible for me not to just dump a big pile of fluff. Perhaps one day I'll team up with a great drama writer who can't write fluff and I'll just insert the fluffy bits ^_^ **

**Rina:** Muahaha, but then since I have no creativity I don't know how I could make Van say sorry without everything being overly fluffy and people have been saying they're happy I'm giving fluff in teensy doses O_O Why can't I just write a bunch of fluff nonsense?? XD  
**Ash Night: ***lol* True, quite true ^_^ And thanks, I needed the assurance I wasn't rushing things ^^;;   
**Enzeru no Yami: **^^;; Hope this is interesting enough for you! And no the review wasn't too harsh I was just rather overwhelmed by the use of the "." Haha, okay I'm hyper, ignore me. O_O  
**Sailor Centauri:** Hehe, patience, grasshopper XD Next chapter will be fluff galore! ^__^  
**Fushizen Na: **I like to blame stuff on the advisors ^_^ Gyah! I read "I'll protect you" Very nice! CONTINUE! I'll review when I have time T_T  
**Inda: **Haha, they'll really get to know each other next chapter ^_~ Gyah! Not THAT way! Get your mind out of the gutter XD  
**xdread:** Haha, here ya go!  
**CraZKitty: **Haha! I made Van do something similar to Episode 19 ^_^ *cowers from CraZKitty* Please don't hurt me! AIEE! *hides behind Van*  
**Magicman/Smokegirl: **Muahaha I used the divorce idea! Except I didn't go too into it because I was doing the whole small moments of each day deal ^_^ But awesome idea!   
**Dariel: **Many people want to hurt the advisors ^^;; And Van DOES something very stupid this chapter ^_^ But it all works out in the end, we know ^_^  
**Aeka-himme:** CONTINUE WRITING YOUR STORY OR PERISH! And make it happy ;_; I don't want Van sad! *sobs into Van's chest* Muahhaha, I wish, I only wish. Hehe, I think I'm causing the readers to humorously want to shoot me O_O  
**Storyteller:** Haha, I'm not stopping! Here ya go! Lucky girl with the uniform! *sniffs* Hehehe, and Van is very sexy *drools*  
**MaboroshiTsuki: ***sighs* I'magoodwriter. ARE YOU HAPPY?!? MS. I GOT PUBLISHED IN A MAGAZINE?!?! *smiles angelically* Now you go scoot along and continue Prescription for Love or Changing Seasons or Hidden Identity.   
**luna: **Hehe, if only the world was that easy ^_^ Haha, I made Van screw up big time ^_^ But that's okay, because we all know that it will be alright ^_^  
**jess131346: **Muahaha, there will be a BIG chapter of fluff next! ^__^  
**fireangel: ***blushes* I'm not brilliant *blushes redder* Here's your update ^_^  
**Ink: **Haha many people hate the advisors, especially me XD Hehehehe  
**Sailor Hope:** *is being evil* And he kisses her! *computer shuts down* Oh no! The chapter is lost! Well I'll just rewrite it so he doesn't kiss her ^_^ Muahah *cowers from Sailor Hope* Gya don't hurt me!  
**just a fan: **Hehe, I will, or at least I'll try ^_^  


**Hehehe, everyone, in the next chapter there will be lots of fluff and... THE HUNKIFICATION OF VAN! Although he's already drop dead sexy I'm making him more sexy ^_~ At least, I'll try O_O**

The silence too long to bear, Hitomi slowly shook her head, the look her misted green eyes gave Van was too pure and hurt to digest. Rain started to fall, slowly at first, then heavier. The garden darkened slightly from the rain clouds blocking the sun, and the rain drops seemed to mirror Hitomi's tears. Van's voice was caught in his throat. 

_I don't... Want an heir from you... I want a baby with you. _

"I... I..." he paused, trying to regain his wits. "I... Don't want you..." he choked. Only realizing his error a few precious heart beats too late, Hitomi's eyes widened in grief and she sprinted away, leaving Van alone in the garden. Cursing, Van sat down on the ledge of the stone fountain, the rain flattening his raven black locks. _Just great, Van. Just great. _

***

"Hitomi will you just listen to me?"

***

"I didn't mean to say that...."

***

"I'm sorry"

***

"I just... I don't know how to make you... Feel... Understand...What I'm thinking, feeling."

***

"...Do you really think that day with the villagers was an act, Hitomi? That morning? Did..."

***

"If you hate me so much that you can't even look at me" Hitomi had then turned her grief stricken green eyes to meet his reddish brown orbs. "Then I'll cancel our bind as husband and wife. So you can be happy." _Don't let me let you go _he prayed_. _Hitomi opened her mouth to say something, but then decided better of it and walked away. 

***

Hitomi had ignored Van for two weeks now. A difficult feat, but the pain embedded in her heart was eating away at her. A strong spirit, she had. But a strong heart she lacked. The fragile blossom of the king and queen's relationship was easily quashed, and it would take time to re-grow what they had begun. She had strayed away from the gardens, and had started to hide away on her balcony. Van had seen less and less of his wife, and he had realized, though they hadn't said much in each other's presence, he had enjoyed her company. Not being alone. 

"Lord Van!" came a voice behind him Van turned around, and a weak smile drew upon his features.

"Merle, you've returned from Fried?" The cat girl nodded, and perched beside him on the fountain ledge. 

"I'm surprised I've arrived unannounced. Did the messenger fail to deliver the message?" she asked, cocking her head at him, concerned at his behavior. 

"Must be so" he said quietly, his brown gaze not meeting hers. Merle nibbled on her lip slightly, brow frowning slightly. 

"I haven't seen you this depressed since they ran out of piscus that day" teased Merle softly. She nudged closer to Van. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" he muttered bitterly.

"Now that's a lie, Van. I've known you forever, and you can't lie to me. Now tell me before I use your legs as scratching posts." Van remained silent. 

Merle knew better then to push him. She waited. 

***

Merle sighed. She knew his advisors meant well, and that they were merely doing their jobs, however they could be so thick headed she had the urge to beat them senseless with the flat side of a sword. She felt Van stiffen up beside her.

"There she is" he commented sadly. Hitomi sat on her balcony, facing away from the garden, reading a book. A longing sort of look clouded his eyes, when he remembered Merle was there, and he shook his expression off, returning to a masked face. 

"Go talk to her" urged Merle, prodding him in the side with her finger. 

"Her door's locked, and it's not like I'm going to fly up there and just corner her." he replied sarcastically. Merle frowned slightly, shaking her head.

"She's hurt, Van. Share your wings with her. You've stepped on her heart--" Merle caught Van's objective gaze, his mouth ready to defend himself. "And yes, unintentionally, I know. But you've got to lay a bit of yourself out for her." Van slowly registered Merle's words. 

"It's okay, I think I'll give her time" he told the frustrated cat girl, leaving the gardens.

***

Van looked up the next day at Hitomi, who was in the same position, reading her book.

***

_Just show her your wings._

***

He fought an internal battle with himself for days and days. Several times he had come close to flying up there and from there on he had no idea what he'd do. But he'd never have to worry about that, he had never mustered the courage. Not until today that is. Shutting his eyes, as if trying to draw some sort of imaginary strength from within him, Van allowed his wings to spread out before any other worries could plague him. Flying up to the one woman who could fix the achy, twisted, cold feeling in his heart, he landed softly behind her. 

"...Hitomi?" 

Hitomi turned around, and dropped her book with a choked scream. Her green eyes were wide, but upon landing on his wings they seemed to be... Captivated. Van felt quite vulnerable, unsure of what her reaction was. Merle's badgering was still ringing in his head clearly. Eventually, Hitomi turned her gaze to lock with Van's. She had no idea what to say. Van's mind stormed at him. 

_Blow this and she's gone forever. Do something, ANYTHING. Let your heart take over, and toss aside your pride for one god damned minute. _Hesitant words were about to come out of his mouth, when suddenly he stopped himself, and with one step, closing the distance between them, Van trapped Hitomi in a tight embrace, his wings protecting her. 

She stiffened like a board of granite, but he never let go. He didn't care if she slapped him, or wrenched herself from his grasp. Nothing could compare to the pain of her thinking he didn't want her. He needed to make sure she knew. 

A heart beat passed....

Then another....

And another.

With a sort of strangled noise erupting from her mouth, Hitomi finally cried out all the pain and hurt she'd been bottling up the past weeks. He tightened his embrace, and she buried herself in his chest, all concerns of the consequences of her letting her emotions and heart out lost in the safety and warmth of his strong arms. He rested his chin on top of her head, and he held her for the longest time, as she sobbed and sobbed. The salty tears eventually came to a halt when she looked up into his brown eyes. The emotion she saw hit her like a bolt of lightning. 

"...V-van?" she managed to choke out in a hoarse whisper, cheeks stained with tears. 

"I didn't mean to say those things Hitomi, I just... I really can't put what I mean to say verbally. I--" he began, when she silenced him with her finger. 

"I know" she said quietly. She didn't need an explanation. She didn't want one. Not now. She slowly parted the embrace, leaving both of them longing for the body warmth they shared before. "Van.... Why do you have wings?" 

Merle's voice pounded in Van's brain, and he shut his eyes for a brief moment, as if he were in pain. Did he really want to tell her? 

_"But you've got to lay a bit of yourself out for her." _He took a deep breath. 

"I'm cursed, Hitomi. As a Draconian." he was surprised at how quickly his words stumbled out. "My mother.... Varie Fanel.... She was a Draconian. Their blood runs through my veins." 

Van felt rather exposed, his words sounding foreign and awkward to him, as if he weren't the one saying them. Hitomi reached out a hesitant hand and touched one of his wings. She brought her hand back to her side, and pursed her lips, and Van took this as a bad sign. He wanted to fly back down, but that would focus her on his wings, and if he went through her room to his she wouldn't feel comfortable. So he was stuck, stuck to see what she would say. 

"You look like an angel, Van" she murmured softly. Whatever he had been expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "Why do you say you're cursed? I... I think they're beautiful." A faint blush appeared on Van's features. 

Hitomi didn't' know whether to trust Van with her heart yet, but she was willing to let him try to win it over. She had put her foot out, it was his turn now. 

"Hitomi.... I want to try.... Try 'us' again. I.... If you agree, I'd really like to spend more real time with you. Of course... If you'd like... To remain... Friends, that would be quite...." Van couldn't bring himself to say 'good'. "... Manageable" was all he could muster. Hitomi took a deep breath, shutting her emerald green eyes momentarily, before locking gazes with him. 

"I don't want to be friends with you, I want to be your wife. But I can't.... You can't.... This all can't keep happening." she added softly, drowning in the deep pools of his eyes. 

"I could kill my advisors?" he suggested, a small smile coming on to his face. 

"You can keep them alive" she laughed lightly. "But, just if necessary, keep your mouth shut." she added with a slight grin, and with a laugh he rested his chin on her head. 

*** 

Now that that mountain had been climbed over, Van felt a great burden lift off of him. He had warned his advisors to never speak to him for the next month, and seeing the murderous glint in his eyes, they nodded hastily, nervous smiles on their faces. 

"Of course, spending time with your wife is good" they chorused, but alas, one unwise advisor opened his mouth. 

"We do need an heir after all" 

The rest of the advisors glared at the speaker, and Van raised an eyebrow slightly at the lone advisor. 

"Ignore him, King Van, if you need anything from us, just call" they all blabbered out, stifling the advisor that could have caused their down fall. Van gave them an easy smile and strode out of the meeting room, as one of the elder advisors whacked the unwise advisor with his fountain pen. 

*** 

Things started out dreadfully slow for the couple. But they both were fine with that, they were comfortable in each other's presence. They still slept in different quarters, but that no longer bothered Van. He respected her privacy, and he was working on building a solid friendship with his queen before worrying about anything else. 

Resting her head against Van's chest, Hitomi took a contented sigh. _This is nice. _They were sitting on Van's bed, and Van's hands were tracing patterns on Hitomi's back leisurely. Hitomi's back prickled slightly with pleasure, but Van didn't notice, he was off somewhere else, thinking. 

"I think I'm going to turn in" yawned Hitomi, stretching, turning to face him. Their faces were quite close, and for a moment they just stared at each other. Eventually, Hitomi regained her composure, smiled nervously, and got off the bed, smoothing down her gown unnecessarily. Giving her a lopsided grin, Van opened the door for Hitomi. 

"Um... I suppose I'll see you in the morning" she smiled. 

"Till then" replied Van. 

"Till then" Hitomi echoed. She didn't realize Van's eyes were on her back as she slowly descended down the red carpeted stairs, to her own quarters. 

**AN: GYAH! Okay, bad chapter, I'm sorry, I know. I think I did better in the beginning. Please don't lose faith, I'm just in a rut, I-- *breaks down sobbing. gains composure* ANYHOW, BIG FLUFF CHAPTER COMING UP NEXT! This whole waiting patiently has been driving me CRAZY. So sparks will fly next chapter! Oh, btw, in case you got confused, they didn't sleep together (muahaha get your minds out of the gutter XD) They were just chatting and relaxing ^_^ **


	5. Sparks

**AN: Hehe, FLUFF CHAPTER! Haha, I didn't do the hunkification of Van because then there was NO way I could make Hitomi resist him without making her seem like some sort of stupid fudge cake ^_^ Of course, she HAS been a stupid fudge cake before but let's make her smart for once ^_~ Remember, this is ALL FLUFF!!! There will be drama for you drama lovers next chapter ^_^**

**Sailor Centauri: **Haha the good old gutter ^_^ Haha thank you *blushes like mad*   
**Inda:** Here's some more loosening up!  
**Rheia: ***waves VxH flag in air* Yeah! Van Hitomi forever! XD  
**Fushizen Na: **Ooh! Read update! I remember reviewing your newest chapter, but if I didn't tell me! *has very bad memory span* Hehe who couldn't like Van's wings? ^_^  
**Dariel: **Hehehe *glomps Van* Haha here's your update!!!! Haha of course Van wouldn't only want Hitomi only for an heir... Well he did at the beginning O_O *decides to shut up* ^^;;  
**Ash Night:** *blushes* Hehe, thanks! I'm trying to practice my fluff ^^;; Big fluff chapter here XD Haha, you really liked that chapter? Took long to write it ^^;;  
**Niffer:** Haha yup, Hitomi's pretty stubborn ^_^ I love fluff too!  
**Sailor Hope: ** BIG LOAD OF FLUFF!!! Hehe Van's having problems speaking XD Haha hope you had fun in class!  
**Aeka-himme:** Haha, unsuccessful with the hunkification project ^^;; Oh well, if Van were any hotter my keyboard would melt and then I couldn't write anymore! XD And yes i'mthewebmistressofwhitedragonunfortunatelysinceitsucksarse  
**just a fan:** *wipes tear away* Thank you! Thank you! *hahaha* ^_^  
**SabineballZ: **There! *cowers* Togetherness! LOL  
**Magicman/Smokegirl:** Yup, good old Allen's gonna make Hitomi hurt Van's feelings later ^_^ Thanks, the leapy line thing was new for me XP  
**Ink:** Hehe, here's fluff! Getting togetherness! XD  
**Dahee Fanel: ***blushes like mad* Thank you for the reviews! *wipes away tears* NOW UPDATE YOUR FIC! MYSTIC EYES!!!! *whacks dahee fanel over the head* Hehehe..... Well, I guess I prefer Millerna to be with Dryden because I don't like Allen, and I do like Millerna, though most people don't *sniffs* If I didn't love VxH so much I'd make a VxM pairing but then again I'm too in love with VxH ^_______^  
**van lover:** Gah! Don't die! Here! Chapter 5! Lol

"Stop fidgeting" chided Merle as she worked on Van's hair. Dryden and Millerna had invited them to a ball in Asturia, and it would be rude to refuse. Besides, Van hadn't seen his friends in a while. He was about to head out to pick Hitomi up from her room, however Merle had pounced on him (not literally), commanding him to stop.

_'Your hair is a mess and you still have an HOUR before you should be even knocking on Hitomi's door'  
'It can't be that bad...'  
'Van, I love your hair. On an everyday basis. However, for a ball this just will NOT do. Have you been going to balls like that when I was away??'   
Van had given Merle a nervous smile, looking rather sheepish. _

He was half afraid she'd completely tame his hair and make it resemble a smaller version of that knight, Allen Schezar's coiffed locks, and he was half tempted to throw her across the room, _in a playful manner of course_, he added to himself grinning, and run. Merle was donning a pale yellow strapless gown with an empire skirt, her usually bouncy pink hair tumbled over her small shoulders in a straighter fashion. There were plump yellow flower buds embroidered on the bodice, and cream petticoats flashed the viewer when she lifted her skirt slightly to walk. She was applying something to his hair, and Van yearned to leave and pick his wife up. 

"There Mr. Ants In His Pants" she teased, and she stood back and admired her work. Van stood up and walked over to the full length mirror in his quarters and couldn't help but grin. Thank the gods that Merle hadn't made his hair all sleek and perfect. Instead of having his locks go in all different directions as usual, she had tamed his hair into a less wild version of his usual spikes, while the product she had applied made his hair shine slightly, and well... Instead of a wild warrior he looked like a king.

"A handsome king" smirked Merle, as if reading his thoughts. She almost could, or at least the two had a very strong bond and connection. 

"Thanks Merle" he laughed, about to do his usual routine of ruffling her hair affectionately but she karate chopped his arm. 

"Not the hair!" she screamed slightly, backing away. Van laughed, and grinned. 

"Thank you, Lady Merle" he stifled a chuckle, bowing stuffily. 

"Now spin around" she instructed, making sure he looked perfect. Sighing, Van turned around once. He was wearing a midnight blue jacket with gold cuff links, black breeches with a thin gold stripe running down the leg, and white gloves. With the addition of his new hair, he looked like a heart throb. Merle gave an excited squeal of delight and ushered Van out the door.

"Now go pick up your wife" she bounced, and with that the king was on his way to meet his queen.

***

Millerna had insisted on letting Hitomi have a day of pampering, despite Hitomi's protest. So she had spent the entire day relaxing and getting ready for the ball. She was donning a light turquoise gown, and on her skirt were sheer layers of turquoise and white, so if Hitomi spun around softly it would seem like the ocean was crashing, causing waves and sea foam. The hand maids had applied a very fine shimmer powder to her shoulders and back, and had accented her eyes with a very light turquoise shadow. They hadn't pinned her hair up, rather back, with turquoise glass and silver combs, the rest of her hair tumbling down in, thanks to the maids, more refined and mermaid like loose curls. Nails clean and manicured, skin nourished with all sorts of treatments, the maids curtseyed to Hitomi, smiling proudly.

"You look like a vision, Queen Hitomi" they chorused, and Hitomi blushed faintly. 

"Thank you very much" she smiled, and with a final curtsey the maids left the room. About to sit down, Hitomi stood back up when she heard a knock at the door. Quickly slipping on elbow length white gloves, Hitomi opened the door to find Van looking extremely handsome. Her mouth gaped open slightly, there was something different about his hair, and the blue of his jacket set off the brownish red in his eyes. His shoulders seemed broader, but his head was cocked slightly in a friendly manner. 

Van looked up at Hitomi and his eyes widened. She was a dream of turquoise and light, her pink lips irresistibly shiny. Her shoulders sparkled lightly as light caught on the powder, however Van thought it was just part of her beautiful magic. The turquoise set off her emerald green eyes startlingly well, and the bodice hugged her body, as the skirt flowed down effortlessly. 

"Hey" she said finally, breaking the silence.

"H-hey" he replied, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from the sight of her and locking her green eyes, which hypnotized him just as much. 

"Ready?" she breathed, and he nodded, gulping, and she linked her arm through his, and they made their way to the ball room.

***

"You look amazing!" cried Millerna, and she meant it with all her heart. "Why can't the maids ever do that to me?" she laughed good naturedly, and Dryden pecked Millerna on the cheek. Millerna was donning a icy sapphire colored gown, and her blonde hair was held up in an elegant knot. Blue crystal earrings dangled from her ears, and her violet eyes were sparkling with delight. 

"You look stunning as well" Hitomi replied, laughing lightly, blushing. 

"Your hair looks quite impressive" grinned Dryden, and Van smiled bashfully.

"It's all thanks to Merle" he laughed, "Nice to see you clean shaven once in a while" he joked, and Dryden gave him an uncanny grin, when the orchestra began to play. 

"Shall we dance?" bowed Van slightly, holding out his hand to Hitomi. This was the first time his advisors didn't need to remind him. He wanted to dance with her. Hitomi blushed, and accepted his hand. 

***

This dance was different. Much different. Instead of stiff upper bodies, their bodies fit together, in a startlingly complimenting manner, and Van held Hitomi close to him with his strong hands, while Hitomi rested her cheek on Van's shoulder. There was a warm feeling building in the pit of both stomachs, spreading through each person's body. Hitomi's skin was pleasantly fragrant, and Hitomi felt relaxed in his strong arms. 

*** 

"I'd like to make an announcement" beamed Dryden, a hand on Millerna's shoulder as he raised his goblet of wine. "I have arranged this ball, as you know, to refresh acquaintances, however, there is another reason. Asturia's beautiful queen, Millerna Aston Fasaa, and I, would like to proudly announce that an heir for Asturia is on it's way! The queen is pregnant!" The court went into applause, and Hitomi, who was sitting next to Millerna at the head table, gave her a hug. 

"That's wonderful" smiled Hitomi, while Van made his way over to shake Dryden's hand, patting him heartily on the back. 

"You're next" Dryden grinned at Van, not loud enough for Hitomi or Millerna to hear. Van turned a slight shade of red, and had he not been standing in front of a great deal of respected figures on Gaea he would have whacked Dryden on the head. A cheerful waltz started, and everyone began to dance. 

But Van and Hitomi never stopped. They danced the night away, and several people murmured softly among themselves, admiring the queen and king of Fanelia. Each step they took, a tingling feeling would run through them, and the comfortable ease they held before was now slightly more awkward, their knee caps being replaced by gelatin. A swirly, warm feeling engulfed their hearts, and it was like if they parted they would faint. They had only noticed the ball was over when Dryden thanked everyone for attending. Parting unwillingly, Van escorted Hitomi out of the ball room to his quarters to talk as they usually did. 

"Did you have fun?" she asked nervously, and he nodded. She sat facing him on the bed, and he smiled. 

"The um.... Wine was quite good" he offered, as he took off his restraining white gloves. "That's better" he grinned, massaging his hand briefly before allowing it to rest by his side again. 

"It was" agreed Hitomi, and she nervously began to edge off her gloves. Van moved forward, and with his warm dry hands he gently eased the smooth gloves off his wife's hands. Keeping his hands on hers for a moment longer, he placed the gloves on the night stand, and the two stared awkwardly at each other. 

"So... Van, tell me..." Hitomi searched her brain for something to talk about. "Tell me about your family" A look of searing pain flickered through his eyes, and Hitomi's brow knitted together slightly, concerned. "You... You don't have to tell me..." she told him softly, resting a hand on his arm. She had immediately regretted the words. 

"No, it's okay" he assured, trying to prepare himself for what he had to say. There were two parts of his life that Van rarely shared. Being Draconian and his family. He supposed it would only be right for his wife to know. In a way, he wanted her to know. 

"....Well, as you know, my parents passed away when I was young. I had a brother..... Folken. Lacour de Fanel. We used to play everyday by the river, with the sun sparkling on it, grass green." Van remembered fondly. "My mother always warned us that one day we'd slip in and hurt ourselves, but of course, we never listened. One day, we were playing tag... I was 'it'" Van trailed off. He shut his reddish brown eyes momentarily, features darkening slightly. Hitomi crawled up beside him, clasped one of her hands with his own, and gently rested her head on his chest. 

"Keep going" she ushered softly, and feeling her soft hand on his, his eyes flew open and he took a sharp intake of breath. Exhaled. He then continued. 

"I was chasing him, and he was heading towards the river. We never actually played in the river, the current was too strong, the rocks too jagged. But that day..... He slipped in. He tried to spread his wings but only injured himself further. I was ten years younger then him... I didn't know what to do. I screamed for help, and my mother came.... But too late." The happy look on Van's face was gone, and his face was rather grim. "It was all my fault" he added bitterly, looking up at the ceiling as if for moral support. 

"It wasn't your fault" said Hitomi softly, but firmly. "You were just a tiny kid, you couldn't have saved him." Van looked into the pools of Hitomi's eyes, nodded but didn't say anything. They didn't say anything for the longest time. Van waited for Hitomi to excuse herself to her room. 

She never did. 

*** 

Van woke up, and the first thing he noticed was... The time. It was quite early, and he wrapped his arms around Hitomi in a snugger fashion and shut his eyes again. Then suddenly, his eyes flew back open and he looked down at Hitomi doing a double take. He was still in his uniform, so they hadn't... Done...Anything... _Thank gods_ prayed Van. He was about to pry herself off her, when she gently whispered "Please stay" He looked down at her, but her lips were, seductively, parted slightly, and her green eyes were shut. She was still sleeping. Sighing, he stayed still for a moment, and eventually began to gently run his hand up and down Hitomi's back slowly, tracing her spine with the tips of his fingers. 

Hitomi's eyes moved slightly underneath her shut lids, and she felt a hand gently making a trail up and down her back. She fluttered her eyes open ever so slightly, and she found herself in the crook of someone's neck. Make that Van's neck. She could tell from his scent.... That summer scent..... Thankful that she still had her gown on, she relaxed slightly, stopping her hands from reflexively smoothing it down. 

_So nothing happened._   
_Well he wouldn't take advantage of you anyways. He probably wouldn't kiss you without having the wits snapped out of him. _

Smiling slightly to herself, Hitomi decided to test that theory. 

Pressing herself closer to Van, she encircled one of her arms around his waist, moving up till her face was inches from his. She let her lips graze his cheek as she dropped her face by his ear, pretending to be asleep still and merely shifting positions. Ever muscle in Van's body tightened up, tighter than a bow string, and she could feel his heart beating rapidly with the hand that was on his chest. With a final touch, she allowed a small gush of warm air flow from her mouth, tickling his ear. 

_Guess I was right_ she grinned. _Good thing I didn't moan through all that Van, or I may have given you a seizure. _To her utter amusement Van didn't move forever, and Van was beginning to get a cramp in his back. With a yawn, Hitomi allowed her eyes to open completely, and she feigned an innocent expression. 

"I guess I must have fallen asleep" she muttered, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. However, when she had nearly given poor Van a heart attack she hadn't noticed how close she had gotten. Their noses were barely touching, and both of their eyes widened as they both separated slightly at the same time. Hitomi took in Van's deep reddish brown eyes, the straight bridge of his nose, his weather worn features, his dark eye lashes, the strong arm that was still partially wrapped around her. 

"..." 

"..." 

"..." 

"I should go... Get..... Changed...." Hitomi stumbled out, her arms making rather erratic motions. 

"Yes, um.... I'll see you at... Breakfast" replied Van nervously. 

"Breakfast! I just love breakfast, don't you?" Hitomi said, trying to force a cheery smile on her face but only getting a rather odd expression. _Okay, Hitomi, stop it now before you make things worse_ Hitomi warned herself. "Um...I should go now" she repeated, and with that she bolted out of the room, her skirt trailing gracefully behind her despite her bright red features. 

**AN: Gyah! Okay I know for all those emotional roller coaster lovers with the drama and such will be quite angry at me but I NEEDED TO HAVE A FLUFF OUTLET!!! So please don't hurt me ^^;; Fluff! Fluff! Oh it's so good to be back. ANYWHOO, of course knowing me I won't make them together right away ^_^ We have good old Allen to thank for that ^_~ Hehe, anywho, how should I make Allen move on Hitomi? So far I've made him pretty pious... Hm.... Any ideas? Well please review! ^_^**


	6. Peaches and Plums

**AN: Muahaha a new chapter! I'm trying to think of ideas for my next fic, as this is the second last chapter of this one.... Well, please review! After at least 10 more reviews I'll post the final chapter ^_^ Muahah BLACK MAIL! XD Muaha so many people had AWESOME ideas for the whole Allen dealie, and the most popular ones were making Allen say Van wasn't treating Hitomi right, or that Allen hugs Hitomi and Van misinterprets. So I decided to go with the latter, seeing as it was the easier one to fix XD I'm too much of a fluff lover to let them suffer any more ^_^ This chapter= A LOT OF COCKINESS!!!! Muahaha, the two things I love in fan fics: Fluff and Cockiness! XD All the cocky and sarcastic bits in this chapter were things I were thinking, I didn't think them up, they just sort of came, sort of my reply to what they were saying XD o_O;; **

**Fushizen Na: **Your idea was awesome, but that would require pain for Van, and effort from me XD So I just dumped more cockiness into this chapter, as I am a big Van/Hitomi being cocky/sarcastic ^_____^ Muahahhaa, I LOVE YOUR FIC! KEEP WRITING! Van's so awesome in your fic! HE'S COCKY! ^____^  
**lazy_girl: **Haha chapter 5 had a bit of fluff! And I don't know whether if this chapter has fluff or not o_O;;  
**MaboroshiTsuki:** Fluff in Prescription for Love, you say, eh? WELL THEN WRITE! XD *whistles innocently, coughs*Publishedinamagazine *cough* ^_^ Hehe thanks about the Merle comment, that was just one of my random thoughts I put in the story.   
**Niffer:** Haha thank you! Here's your chapter! I like the sleeping together too ^_^   
**naria:** I'll try to keep writing! ^^;; If people keep reviewing! XD   
**jess131346:** The fluff is in chapter 5! XD And I don't know if there's fluff in this chapter, I'm too tired to figure that out XD  
**Inda:** Haha quite ^_~ We all know it's going to be a happy ending ^_^  
**SabineballZ: ***glances nervously at Dilly* haha, yes, burn OTHER PEOPLE O_O Thanks for the review! ^_^  
**Dahee Fanel: **The pain of lack of fluff! XD Yeah! Go Van! Die blonde Barbie man! Alas, I cannot make Hitomi slap Van as in my fic, "It's You" I made Allen evil and Allen fans got mad @_@  
**Firefly: **Thank you! Twas my first shot at writing a sword fight ^^;; Not much action, but that's okay! Hahaha  
**Aeka-himme:** Haha, I made Allen dense and slow. Who on earth would say "I'm afraid something has gone terribly wrong" Well, you'll see when you read ^_~ He didn't do anything bad, just he noticed... Dammit I can't say anything without spoiling anything. Well he sees something and instead of undoing it he just stares blankly and goes "I think we made a boo boo" KEEP WRITING!  
**Illusionist:** Thanko! Fluff is good for the soul XD  
**luna:** *while luna is chasing allen, cinderella glomps van* Muahaha, I made Allen decent, because there's this nagging in my head about all those Allen fans *grumbles* Anywhoo, used your idea! *bows* Thanko! ^___^   
**Sailor Centauri:** Hahaha, baka... I love that word. I haven't heard someone use that in so long ^_^ This chapter is sort of kawaii, hope it's good enough ^^;;  
**Ash Night: **Allen didn't make a move, Van just did his signature being there at the wrong time move ^_~ *blushes like crazy* idon'twritewonderfulsentences *not very good with compliments* ^^;; Thanko!  
**Dariel:** I would have tortured Van that way XD Okay, better keep this PG 13 XD So I made Allen not do anything and just have Van misinterpret XP  
**Magicman/Smokegirl: **Hehehehehehe..... I was writing out your idea but then I had this BIG scene where Van was really hurt and *wails* I COULDN'T TAKE IT! So I made this sort of kawaii chapter instead ^_^ *hides behind rock*   
**FullmoonBunny: ***blushes* Haha I couldn't make Allen make a move on Hitomi after all, too many complications *sniffs* Haha, I love being hyper ^_^  
  


Van smiled as he saw the last bit of skirt trail out of his room. Despite the slight awkward moment, the feathery brushing of Hitomi's lips on his skin was enough to make him die happy. 

_Look at the stars;   
Look how they shine for you   
And everything you do   
Yeah, they were all yellow   
I came along; I wrote a song for you   
And all the things you do..._

***

Donning a sky blue sun dress, Hitomi waltzed over to the Asturian ocean side, taking a deep breath of the salty air. She noticed a lone figure standing near a large rock, and Hitomi peered, shading her eyes as the bright sunlight made it difficult to tell who it was. 

"Allen!" she called gleefully, running at a remarkable speed to the Asturian Knight. In a fit of joy, she threw her arms around the knight's neck. "You were right!" she beamed, her whole face glowing.

"Right about what, Queen Hitomi?" he laughed, surprised at her sudden outburst. 

"Van isn't that awful!" she smiled shyly. "He's actually....." she trailed off, calming down immediately and turning a rather deep red. 

"Has love struck?" Allen teased, and Hitomi playfully slapped his arm. 

"Tis the business of the Queen and no one else" she laughed, green eyes twinkling. "...Thank you, Allen" she added quietly. "You gave me the faith to believe. For that Fanelia blesses you" she smiled. Allen bowed his head slightly.

"It is an honor, Queen Hitomi" he replied kindly. "So how was love's first kiss?" he daringly asked, his lips curling up into an impish grin. 

"We haven't kissed yet" blushed Hitomi, "And you call yourself a knight! Asking me a question like that" she scolded, a small smirk spreading on her features. 

"Tis my curious nature" replied Allen innocently, his cerulean blue eyes dancing with laughter. 

"Tis curiosity that killed the cat" retorted Hitomi instantly, and the two erupted in giggles. 

***

Van slipped on a red shirt and beige breeches, and ran his hand quickly through his raven black hair. It was dragon fruit season in Astruia, and Van took advantage of that by plucking the bright pink and green fruit from one of the trees outside. Slicing the sweet fruit open with a dagger he kept in his boot, Van made his way to the ocean side to enjoy the fresh breeze.

That's when he noticed it.

Them. 

Hitomi with her arms wrapped around the Caeli Knight, Allen Schezar. His happy glow faded in an instant, the fruit rolling out of his now limp hand. Her lips were parted in delight, and neither of the two noticed him, _too happy in their lover's embrace_ he added bitterly. 

_She did say I was a monster. And she was forced into this marriage. I suppose it was foolish of me to think we could actually fall in love. She was merely tired that night. Had it been Allen in my position, I'm sure much more would have happened_ he thought sadly, turning away to head back into the palace. _To think I would have swam the Gaean seas for her last night. _

***

"Queen Hitomi, I'm afraid something's gone terribly wrong" said Allen suddenly. Hitomi looked up, startled.

"What is it Allen?" she demanded, becoming slightly afraid of the worried look in Allen's sapphire eyes. 

"King Van is turning away rather abruptly, I think he has come to the conclusion that--" started Allen.

"Oh no!" Hitomi cried, saying a rather long string of unladylike words and unwrapping her arms around Allen's shoulders. Lifting her skirts slightly so she could run faster, Hitomi sprinted after the disgruntled king. "Van!" she yelled, but Van kept walking away resolutely across the yellow sands. "VAN!" she yelled, grabbing his shoulder and whirling him around. 

"You know Hitomi," Van said carefully without missing a beat, "Many Kings on the other hemisphere of Gaea have mistresses. Perhaps we could start that, and you could have your lovers, while I--" 

Outraged, Hitomi slapped him across the face. Hitomi met his angry reddish brown eyes, but to her unease underneath all that she saw great sadness. Hurt. Her furious retort died in her throat, and her green eyes softened at the king. 

"Van, I was just..." 

"No, Hitomi, I really don't want an explanation." he stated, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword to keep from rubbing the burn on his face. "It's alright, as I said, it's perfectly natural for you to have your lovers. We were forced into this marriage, and it's completely fine" he articulated before letting her respond, and with that he was gone. Though his stance and features were varying from neutral to cold, Hitomi saw the look in his auburn brown eyes. 

_Because sad eyes never lie..._

*** 

_Pressing herself closer to Van, she encircled one of her arms around his waist, moving up till her face was inches from his. She let her lips graze his cheek as she dropped her face by his ear, pretending to be asleep still and merely shifting positions. Ever muscle in Van's body tightened up, tighter than a bow string, and she could feel his heart beating rapidly with the hand that was on his chest. With a final touch, she allowed a small gush of warm air flow from her mouth, tickling his ear. _

Hitomi sighed. She had been affectionately teasing Van, but a part of her had wanted... Wanted what? 

Tucking her knees in and resting her head on top of them, Hitomi watched the Asturian scenery through the tall paned windows of her bedroom. Feelings were arising for her husband, and a part of her longed to know if he reciprocated those feelings. Of course the incident with Allen had not helped the matters at hand at all, and she knew better then to send Allen to explain, Van with his male pride and all. 

But she had a pride to match his own. A tiny part of her registered that. _Fire to match fire. A spark ignited. _

*** 

The more Hitomi thought about it, the more the feeling of... Love? Or was it affection? Whatever the feeling was she held for Van, it grew as the days flew by, and now that they were back on Fanelian soil, Hitomi set out to right her wrongs. Discovering Van on the roof top, he was wielding his sword in the air, the samurai blade making a singing noise against the cool night air as he sliced and slashed it around, obviously in control, and confident. 

"Van?" she said softly. Van whirled around. 

"Don't talk to me, I'm doing something" he replied calmly, his brown eyes flickering. 

"Well stop what you're doing" Van turned around and continued to wield his sword as if she weren't there. 

"Dammit Van! Will you hear me out?" called out Hitomi, getting frustrated. He continued to wield his sword. Hitomi picked up one of the spare swords which were precariously arranged on the shingles, and unsheathed it. Van turned around at the sound of steel and had blocked Hitomi's hit just on time. 

"Are you mad, woman?" he bellowed, as she parried. "Are you trying to kill me??!" His blood boiled slightly, however there was adrenaline and.... Passion, almost, coursing through him. 

"I'm trying to make you listen" she said in between pants, Van blocking her hits. "So if I get my sword pointed at your throat you'll have to listen to me" 

"What makes you think I'll listen?" he demanded, as Hitomi jabbed at him. She was too riled up to concentrate, however Van, on the other hand, kept his cool, blocking her every strike. 

"Because I lov--" Hitomi stopped herself just in time, and put on a determined look. "Because you have to" she finished lamely. Hitomi was beginning to cool down, her swordsman-- Er rather, swords_woman_ instincts taking over. She swiped at him, missed, swiped again, sliced; this time cutting his red tunic off. She gulped slightly at his muscular chest, but kept going. 

"Very close, Queen Hitomi" he smirked, and he then parried, sliced and damaged the lower part of her skirt. Growling slightly in anger, Hitomi was about to do her final assault; parry, slice, parry, hit, flick, point. However, as she knocked Van with the hilt of her sword, he changed tactic, rolled past her agilely, and pointed his blade at her back. 

"Seems I've won" he gloated, smirking, "You've grown sloppy" he added, and that angered Hitomi too much. _He did NOT just say I've grown sloppy! I HAVE NOT GROWN SLOPPY! _The cocky look in his eyes caused her to see red. 

Bright red. 

Clenching her right fist she punched Van in the eye with all she had. Cursing a rather vulgar word, Van stepped back only to go off the flat surface of the roof and he began skidding down the sloped part, the shingles bruising his back. His head hit a loose shingle, and his free hand (as the other one was on his eye), he tried to slow himself down, only to get a rather nasty bump on his back, and with that he went off the roof. 

"VAN!" Hitomi screamed, horrified. His wings sprouted, to Hitomi's relief, and with one painful flap in the air, he hovered in the air for a moment, white feathers slowly falling around him. Quite furious, he made his way back to the roof. 

"You really DO want to kill me!" he scowled, and after retracting his wings, he scooped up all the swords, and held the four blades in their sheathes under his arm, marching away. 

"I didn't mean to kill you!" retorted Hitomi indignantly, following him. 

"Oh so you just attack me when my back is turned, and PUNCH ME OFF THE ROOF OF THE PALACE!" he roared. 

"I didn't mean to punch you OFF the roof!" she retorted. "I meant to just punch you!" 

"Oh so that makes it better, you wish to injure me, but not badly enough to kill me so that I'll live to feel the pain tomorrow. Thank you, Queen Hitomi." he replied sarcastically. With an indignant huff, Hitomi tapped her foot on the floor once they were inside. The previous scene replayed in Hitomi's head, and she began to giggle. 

"And what's so funny?" inquired Van, lifting an eyebrow. 

"Well" she laughed, "You know the phrase, 'Tragedy is when you cut your finger, Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die?" she quoted, bursting into fits of laughter as she recalled the expression on Van's face as he fell down the roof. It wasn't fear, Hitomi had to admire him for that. It was more like a look of pure annoyance, as if he was used to falling off roofs and it was just an irritating experience. 

"My wife is mad" muttered Van, walking away. Almost doggedly, she followed him to his quarters where he put the swords away in a mahogany cupboard. 

"How's your bruises?" she asked, biting her lip in attempts to become serious, a giggle escaping her mouth. 

"Oh just peachy" he replied snappishly as he sat down on the edge of his bed. His left eye was turning rather black, and it was swelling up rapidly. 

"More like plum" answered Hitomi, regarding the color of his bruises. Edging closer to him, Hitomi gingerly touched one of the bruises on his toned back. He winced, and let out a sharp exhale. 

"You're acting concerned" he teased, and Hitomi gave him an indignant look. 

"I just don't want your people to kill me for beating their king to to a pulp" she grinned slyly, and then her face met cotton. Van had lifted up one of his pillows and thwacked her in the face. Pinning her shoulders down on the mattress with his arms, and using his legs to pin her thighs down, Van put his face dangerously close to Hitomi's. 

"Beat me to a pulp, huh?" 

"Yes" she replied defiantly. 

"I'll show you" he smirked, and with that he began to tickle her senseless as she writhed under him, laughing, tears of mirth beginning to flow down her cheeks. 

"Stop! Stop! Hahahaha-- STOP! STOP! AHAHAHA" 

"Surrender?" he asked over her laughter. 

"HAHAHA-- NEVER!" 

"Surrender!" 

"HAHA NO HAHA" 

"Okay, your choice" Van continued to tickle her senseless, and she began to cry out. 

"OKAY I SURRENDER!" 

"Are you sure?" he asked, smirking devilishly. 

"HAHAHA YES I SURRENDER NOW STOP! HAHAHHAA" 

"I don't know, you don't seem to sure...." he trailed off innocently. 

"HAHAHA I SURRENDER NOW STOP IT BEFORE I--" 

"Before you what?" interrupted Van, a warning glint in his twinkling eyes. 

"JUST STOP HAHAH IT!!!!" Grinning like a mad man, Van let go of Hitomi's waist, and slowly it dawned on them. 

Van. 

Was. 

On. 

Top. 

Of. 

Hitomi. 

And the area from their navel to their knees were pressed rather well together. Hitomi looked up at him, cheeks flaming red, his face mirroring her color. Van rolled off her like he was Indiana Jones and it was a life threatening situation. 

"AH!" 

"AH!" 

"AH!" 

"..." 

"..." 

"..." 

"AH!" 

"AH!" 

"AH!" 

They backed away from each other to opposite sides of the room, eying each other warily. 

"That NEVER happened" they both said at the same time, their eyes twitching slightly. 

"Um... Well good night" Van finally said, breaking the EXCEEDINGLY awkward silence. 

"Yes... I'll just go um...." Hitomi motioned oddly towards the door, like she was one of the those traffic officers from the Mystic Moon her friend Yukari had told her about. 

"Yeah, go to Allen" Van blurted out, and he wished he could knock Hitomi unconscious when the words flew out of his mouth so she would forget. Hitomi gave him a very tired sigh. 

"Men" she muttered. "I'll explain in the morning, I'm too sore to argue with you" 

"YOU'RE too sore?" exclaimed Van incredulously. 

"You did rather beat me up there" she grinned impishly, taking the role of the damsel in distress rather quickly. "Good night, Van" she laughed, shutting the door behind her before he could react. 

"Women" muttered Van, flopping onto his mattress then cursing out loud rather loudly at the pain from his bruises. 

**AN: Bwhahaa, hope people don't kill me for not making Allen kiss Hitomi or something... I couldn't torture poor Van anymore XD Anywhoo, any ideas for my next story? THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER, I just need to plan out what I'm doing. I have a faint idea, but if anyone has a really cool idea, AU of course XD, with the whole action/adventure and romance... Do tell! ^_^ Tis all for now! Be honest with your reviews or I'll never improve! Haha, well ta ta for now**

**-CxV**


	7. Kitchen Adventures and the Ending!

**AN: BWHAHAHA THE LAST CHAPTER!!!! I actually didn't like this fic much in the beginning, but now I love it! Tis fluff galore XD Eck I don't think my other story "Nobody Said It Was Easy" is going well o_O;; It has drama and action... VERY new at that. ;_; *sniffles* Anywhoo, onto the review replies!**

**Fushizen Na: ***glomps fushizen na* THANKS FOR JOINING SAMURAI!!! ^____^ Haha and Van and Hitomi do much more then kiss here ^_~ UPDATE YOUR STORY OR DIE!!!!!! ^_^  
**Fire Fly: **Haha I couldn't make them kiss so soon or it wouldn't be half as fun for me! XD Glad you like the sword fights! ^_^ Hehe and if Allen had kissed Hitomi I would have killed him ^_^ Which Allen fans would not be happy about o_O;;  
**Katsu-chan:** Haha thanks for the review! ^_^  
**Inda: ** Thank you for the review! ^_^   
**Storyteller: **Haha I like Van too! *glomps Van*  
**=):** Haha thanks! I try to be funny, although sometimes when I do people just stare at me oddly o_O;; And they kiss now! XD  
**aoao:** GYAH! UPDATE YOUR AUTUMN STORY, WOMAN!!!!! And I -tried- to make the kiss unexpected... *whimpers* My timing sucks *wails* Hope this is good enough *sniffs* Hehe, thank you so much for the review! ^___^  
**Dariel:** WEE I READ YOUR STORY! THE AMAZON ONE! YOU ARE A FLUFF MASTER! I HATE YOU *sobs* Anyways *sniffs* Yes, Hitomi is a stubborn one but she gives into Van this chapter XD   
**Niffer:** Haha no one wanted Allen kissing Hitomi ^^;; Hehe I love cockiness! XD Here's your update! XD  
**Magicman/Smokegirl:** Haha! And Van can be a baka brain sometimes, you're right ^_^ *pats Van affectionately* ^_^  
**hitomi21: **Haha I e-mailed you! Thanks for the review!   
**MaboroshiTsuki:** *slaps Anne repeatedly on the face* HOW WILL IT GET THROUGH YOUR HEAD THAT YOU ARE A GOOD WRITER?!? DO YOU WANT ME TO RUN A CAMPAIGN!?!? CHRIST! YOU'RE MAKING ME FEEL BAD!!! MS. TALENT! ^_^  
**Azure:** Haha, gotta love the insanity ^^;; Now continue your story, I've done my part *haha* And if you write a CxV story I will utterly be gobsmacked, although if you write some more fab VxH fluff I'll be equally as happy and I'm sure many others will be too! XD But Cinderella will always be there as a character to make Hitomi jealous if needed ^_^ *cackles* Hate to say it, but I'm a big VxH fan even though I love Van... See I'm not selfish! XD I just want Van to be happy *sniffs melodramatically*   
**Ink:** Muahaha, so close, yet so far away... Hehe I'm continuing ASAP! ^^;; Here is your continuing!   
**Dahee Fanel: **Continue your fic, woman! LOL! And I'm sad I'm ending this too, I've grown to love it ;_; Oh well, there will be more insane fluff fics! (unless I die o_O;;) Haha thanks for the review!  
**Aeka-himme:** MISSY YOU HURRY UP WITH LOVE HAPPENS!!! *takes a deep breath* Hehe.. Muahah let's hope you find your socks XD  
**naria:** Thanks for your constant reviews! *wipes tear* They a lot to me ^_^  
**Sailor Hope: ***pats Van* It's okay Van, I still love you ^_^ *waves V/H flag in air* Yay!  
**Jess131346:** Haha, here's fluff! *cowers* haha  
**LOVE WITCH: ** Muahah can't wait till your next update... Friday, right? *grins like a moron* I posted my thing on mm.org! Gyah it's so sick o_O;; Thanks for reviewing! *beams*  
**lazy_girl:** They will now! XD Thanks, I try ^^;; Haha and Hitomi is a bum bum so that's why she punched his face... Here's them being nice! XD  
**darkcherry:** Here! Haha thanks for reviewing  
**Ash Night:** Gyah! Don't kneel! *pokes at Ash Night with a stick* Hehe here's an update! ^_^  
**SabineballZ:** *eyes Dilly warily* Um... Here! Take the chapter and don't hurt me! AIEE! XD  
**Fullmoonbunny:** Haha continue your story! Anywho, more fluff here! Hope you like it! ^^;; Thanks for the story idea, I'll try to apply it to "Nobody Said It Was Easy", my latest fic ^_^  
**Moonlight34:** Haha thank you! *blushes* I feel special! XD  
**Lev:** Haha, yes I have problems with grammar o_O;; LOL, thanks I feel special despite my grammar mistakes! XD Don't you love esca? *beams* 

**And here is the chapter! XD**  


Waking up, Van stretched out his arms and flopped them back down forcefully down on the bed, regretting it instantly. 

"@%$!" he yelled, his bruises getting the best of him. Groaning, Van rolled out of bed, a part of him pining for the warm cocoon of blankets once more. Rubbing the sleep out of his auburn brown eyes, he turned the door knob of his wardrobe open and yanked out a shirt, balling it up in his fists. Slamming the door shut and crossing the plush carpet, Van startled a female servant with the sight of his bare torso after leaving his bedroom. Averting her eyes and scurrying away, a faint blush crept on Van's tanned face and he hastily put on his shirt after shutting his door. His muscles moved as he walked, and he winced every single time he took a step. _I really should get those bruises checked out,_ he thought. Then a thought struck him. _Maybe I'll get Hitomi to look them over..._ Van's eyes widened as certain thoughts began to play in his head. 

_And then when she's--_  
_GAH! STOP IT RIGHT NOW YOU PERVERT!   
Well, she IS your wife so...  
I DON'T CARE! DO NOT PUT THOSE IMAGES--  
You know, technically you should have done this a while ago--  
YOU SHUT UP!   
You know you waaaaant to....  
NO I DON'T!  
Admit it you moron, you LIKED it last night when you were pressed up against--  
NO I DIDN'T.  
SOMEONE'S swimming that river in Egypt...  
.......Um, what am I swimming?  
DENIAL YOU IDIOT!  
How did you get that from a river in Egypt? o_O;;   
-_-;; The Nile. Da Nile. Denial!   
Oh yeah ^^;;   
Gods, really, selling your intelligence to the devil in exchange for that "Girls Gone Wild" video was a bad idea--  
I DID NOT SELL MY INTELLIGENCE FOR A "GIRLS GONE WILD" VIDEO!   
Suuuuure you didn't. _

Van was about to stride into the dining room, the scent of thick toast ready for him, when he thought of something and walked into the kitchens, for the first time in years. 

"Hi, um, if you're not too busy--" began Van politely, all the cooks and servants turning towards the speaker, jaws hanging when they saw who it was. 

"OH GODS IT'S KING VAN!" one girl screamed, and soon hyperventilation spread though the room like wild fire. 

"OH MY GODS! I'M WEARING MY BAD APRON TODAY!"

"IT'S KING VAN!"

"HE'S GOING TO BEHEAD ME FOR NOT PUTTING EXACTLY 100 GREEN PEAS IN HIS DINNER, ISN'T HE?!"

"I PUT EXTRA CREAM IN THE MUSHROOM SOUP! NO! I HAVE TWO KIDS!"

"THE CHILDREN! THE CHILDREN! DEAR GODS THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" sobbed one man, crumpling to the floor, burying his face into his lap. 

"Charles, what did you do?" asked one woman incredulously.

"I chose to put blush pink flowers into the vase instead of rose pink!" Charles wailed, thumping his head against a near by table leg. 

"Calm down everyone!" yelled Van, finally getting over the initial shock. 

"HE'S GOING TO KILL US NOW!" the entire kitchen screamed in unison, and Van snapped. 

"I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF YOU HAD ANY DRAGON FRUIT JAM!" he yelled at the top of his lungs over the pandemonium. All fell silent. Crickets could be heard faintly. Van blinked, the kitchen blinked back at him. 

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Here you go," one cook finally said, handing him a jar full of dark pink fruit preserves as if it were lethal. 

"Thank you," Van thanked gratefully, and jar in hand he made his way to the royal dining room and spread his favorite jam on the thick slices of bread, munching happily, although wincing occasionally when he forgot about his bruises and made the mistake of flopping against the back of his chair. 

***

_  
"_I'm all aglow, Mmmmmm  
And now I know  
The key to all heaven is mine  
My heart has wings, Mmmmmm  
And I can fly  
I'll touch every star in the sky  
So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of  
Mmmmmm,  
Mmmmmm,  
So this is_ love_," Hitomi sang into the morning sun, prancing around the gardens, plucking flowers into a smooth wicker basket slung on her elbow. 

"Don't you think this is a bit cliché?" came an amused male voice from behind Hitomi. 

Hitomi was frozen in fear, thinking it was be Van. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...._ she panicked. 

"Um... You see..." began Hitomi, slightly gruffly, pivoting on her heel and turning around, her muscles tensing. "OH THANK GODS, Allen you scared me!" she screamed, realizing it wasn't her husband. 

"Thought I was Van?" winked Allen, nudging Hitomi playfully in the ribs. 

"I did not!" pouted Hitomi, giving Allen an indignant look. 

"Oh?" he commented coyly, lifting a blonde eye brow up, "So you weren't affected by your little romp with him last night?" Hitomi turned bright red.

"Who told you about that!" she demanded, "I mean," she added, turning a brighter red if that was possible, "Where did you hear such a crazy lie from?" she added hastily, fuming under Allen's laughing gaze. 

"One of the servants heard your voices coming from King Van's room, and she claimed to hear the distinct sound of squeaking mattress springs and laughing," smirked Allen. 

"Nothing happened!" snapped Hitomi, her pride flaring up as she shrunk smaller and smaller, her face practically glowing red like a fluorescent light bulb. "He was tickling me and--" Hitomi began, in a weak attempt to defend herself when she realized she wasn't improving the situation, "Oh shut up!" she wailed, stalking off. 

"Oh come on," laughed Allen merrily, "I was just teasing you. It's great that you're finally in love with your husband," he smiled kindly, "Most married couples do that, you know, fall in love?" he added with a wink. 

Not sure on how to take that last statement, Hitomi chose to ignore it. She considered beating Allen to a pulp for making her feel vulnerable, and she slowly rolled her fist up, but alas her feminine side over rode her and she blushed again. 

"I really do think I love him! He's... He's..." Hitomi trailed off, noticing that a gardener was staring at the two of them. 

Van was grinning from ear to ear as he stood there listening from behind a white rose bush, his male pride puffing up and soaking in all the compliments like an obnoxious sponge. A very sexy obnoxious sponge. 

But deep down, past all that sponginess, lay a fluttery feeling, new to the king. _She loves me_ a part of him inside cheered, and slightly thrown off, Van stopped smirking. His attention was caught by a loud scream, snapping him out of his daze.

"PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" a servant screamed as he accidentally spilt the contents of his watering can on Queen Hitomi. Queen Hitomi's favorite dress. Van winced, preparing his ears for the ear splitting screaming and ranting. This had happened with a few princesses before, and every single one of them had put on the a massive fit, each time that princess out doing the last. Even one princess, who he thought decent and rather kind, threw a colossal temper tantrum. He shuddered at the memory. He peered up slightly from his position behind the bush to get a better peek. 

Hitomi's expression was unreadable. At first, she just gently wringed some of the water from her skirt, but then peals of laughter began to bubble from her mouth. 

_She must be really angry if she's laughing!_ the servant thought, panic stricken. Seeing the look on the young servant's face, Hitomi smiled in an assuring manner.

"It's only water," she told him kindly, "Don't be worried". The servant's eyes still were bulging out rather grotesquely, and Hitomi and Allen were slightly wary. 

"Um... Yes," coughed Allen, the servant still standing there, horror freezing his muscles. 

"I HAVE CHILDREN, YOUR MAJESTY," the man screamed, throwing himself on the ground in front of Hitomi. 

"That's... Nice..." Hitomi commented awkwardly. Van recognized as the man from the kitchen who had hysterics. _Maybe he needs help..._

"I know my errors are worth a death sentence BUT SAVE MY CHILDREN!" the man wailed, and Hitomi squatted down and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm not going to kill you!" she told him exasperatedly, "I told you it's fine!"

"OH GOD YOU'RE GOING TO KILL ME IN MY SLEEP!" the man cried, gripping the grass in his hands. 

"I'M NOT GOING TO KILL YOU! I TOLD YOU IT'S FINE!" screamed Hitomi, slapping the man on the face after her temper got the best of her. Charles blinked at her, rather taken a back, and scurried away screaming. 

Van smiled fondly at his wife, and felt sort of proud that he had a unique wife. Not some temper tantrum throwing princess who couldn't take a bit of water and didn't fire servants left and right. He was about to walk over and join Allen and Hitomi when a loud siren went off in his head.

_YOU HAVE BEEN SPYING, GO OUT THERE AND YOU WILL BASICALLY COMMIT SUICIDE,_ the voice blared in his head. 

Van gulped as he thought what Hitomi might do to him, and they weren't pleasant or even perverted. But the way she looked so happy, water causing the flimsy skirt of her sun dress to cling to her legs provocatively made it so hard to stay in his spot. It was then that he noticed Allen was eyeing Hitomi's long legs as well. 

_That bastard!_ Van fumed, ready to storm out of his hiding place again. _WARNING, WARNING,_ the voice went off again. Van clenched his fist and cursed under his breath. 

_BUT HE'S EYING MY WIFE LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT!  
So are you.  
BUT SHE'S MY WIFE!  
Oh, Mr. She's only a queen in my eyes?  
YOU SHUT UP!  
Touchy, are we?  
I WILL HURT YOU.  
Oh yes, that's smart. I'm sure you'll look quite smart when you start to smack yourself on the head viciously.   
You. Will. Die.  
Then. So. Will. You.   
Dammit!   
Well, Mr. Moronic Imbecile, why don't you tell her you love her?  
I'll probably end up accidentally saying I hate her!  
Then SHOW HER!  
...How?  
God, even Allen is smarter then you.   
Now that was just harsh.   
True. Anyways, make her a romantic dinner or something....   
That's a perfect idea! I'm so smart!  
You mean I'M so smart  
But you are me!  
-_-;_

Van grinned from ear to ear and waited for Allen and Hitomi to leave the gardens, then made his way to find Merle.

***

Merle could barely contain her excitement when Van told her his plan. 

"You're not stupid anymore!" she exclaimed, squishing Van to death. "Did you finally get your intelligence back from the devil?" 

"WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK I SOLD MY INTELLIGENCE TO THE DEVIL FOR A GIRLS GONE WILD VIDEO!" yelled Van angrily. Merle stared blankly at her childhood playmate. 

"Um... Van, I was KIDDING," Merle replied, eying Van rather strangely as his left cheek twitched slightly, the look of embarrassment clear in his eyes. 

"Okay, so I've been planning--" began Merle, ignoring the awkward silence.

"You've been planning?" Van asked incredulously, his tone turning suspicious, his eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Well," Merle trailed off, bearing a sheepish expression, "I sort of was planning to sabotage you and Hitomi to have one if you didn't do anything soon..." Van let out a roar, and Merle let out a meeping noise. 

"AIEE!" she screamed, as Van began to chase her around the garden, his expression not very amused. He sprinted up with a sudden new burst of strength and was about to throttle Merle when she screamed out at a rather alarmingly rapid pace, "Then you'll never know her favorite foods and you'll screw up!" Van stopped, panting slightly, and scowled. _Dammit she's right._

"I'll let you off the hook this time," Van warned, "But any more of your crazy tricks and I'll make you into a stuffed animal for Hitomi!" 

"Ooh, for Hitomi, eh?" Merle smirked, and Van gave her a thunderous look. "Kidding!" she added hastily. 

***

"So she likes salmon?" asked Van, eying the kitchen's fish tank warily. 

"It's her favorite," confirmed Merle, handing Van the net. 

"Why do I have to get it?" complained Van, not admitting his secret fear of fish. 

"What? Pretty boy to afraid to get a fish?" she taunted, and Van scowled, yanking the net away from a smirking Merle. 

"I'll get it alright," he retorted, silently praying to the gods that the fish wouldn't eat him. Shutting his eyes, Van quickly swiped at a random part of the tank and caught a nice large salmon as it jumped around in the net. 

"Okay, now all you do--" began Merle, about to hand Van a wooden hammer when he let out a alarmingly loud yell. 

"AHHHHH!!!!!" he yelled, Merle dropping the hammer in fright. Picking up a knife from a nearby table, Van began to randomly chop at the fish who was putting up quite a fight, jerking this way and that, one time nearly getting out of the net. "IT'S GOING TO EAT US!!!" he hollered, holding the net as far way from his as possible as he unsuccessfully thrashed out his knife at the fish. 

"VAN! JUST GIVE IT TO--"

"IT'S A MONSTER!"

"JUST GIVE IT TO ME--"

"AHHH!!!! IT'S NOT DYING!"

"YOU HAVE TO HIT IT'S HEAD--"

"IT'S SCALES ARE IMPENETRABLE!"

"VAN JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN--"

"Okay. I can handle this," Van muttered to himself, shuddering, "I'm okay," he told himself firmly. Suddenly the fish jumped violently, and Van let out another blood curdling yell. 

"WE'RE GOING TO DIE! NOOOOOO MOMMA NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Letting out a rather irritated cry, Merle sharply yanked the net out of Van's hands and thwapped the fish's head, it going limp immediately. 

"What are you trying to do? Torture it?" exclaimed Merle at a very pale Van. Van couldn't reply, only stared, in a rather frightened manner, at the fish. "What, are you afraid of fish?" asked Merle curiously, finally beginning to take note on his odd behavior. The proud King of Fanelia _never_ lost his cool. But suddenly he was wailing like a banshee over a fish. "YOU'RE AFRAID OF FISH!" taunted Merle, laughing her head off. 

"Shut up!" Van muttered, turning red slightly. 

"Ooh... It's going to eat you Van!" laughed Merle, shoving the fish's face towards Van.

"Get that the hell away from me!" yelled Van, backing away. 

"Aw, you're afraid of the fishie?" Merle mocked impishly. Van muttered something that was far from comprehendible, and Merle decided to leave the poor king alone. _For now, that is_ she added to herself with a devilish grin. 

***

"Queen Hitomi, I'm afraid the roof of the dining room has collapsed, and thus we will have to set dinner outside," a servant regretfully informed Hitomi. 

"Oh that's alright," Hitomi replied with a gracious smile, although the news was rather peculiar. _How did the roof collapse suddenly? _Setting down her book she walked silently behind the servant and gasped when she walked into the gardens. 

"Do you like it?" came a soft voice in her ear. Hitomi's breath caught in her roof when she realized who it was. 

"Don't you think it's dangerous to have so many candles around?" teased Hitomi, regarding the millions of white candles everywhere along the paths, "You could set the whole place on fire," she added with an impish twinkle. 

"There are many things I'd like to set on fire," Van whispered into her ear, and a warm feeling was spreading through Hitomi's body, despite the cool evening. _Since when was Van so bold?_ Hitomi wondered as Van turned her around so they were facing each other. Not that she minded, of course. Their noses were inches from touching, and Hitomi gazed into Van's deep reddish brown ones. 

Normally, if someone who knew Van well had seen how he was speaking to Hitomi, they would punch Van in the face, assuming he was a very bad doppelganger. But little did any one know, the King had the assurance that she felt the same way, and even if she reacted in a bad way, he knew her true feelings, and he was willing to fight to make her see. _Anything for her._

"Over the time that we began to be civil to each other," he said softly, Hitomi's heart thumping wildly against her chest, "I've discovered how truly beautiful and special you are..." he trailed off, looking into her emerald green eyes. "And how extraordinary you are, how intelligent you are, how fiery you are, and how passionate you are," he continued, each syllable causing Hitomi's vision to haze from her light headedness. He looked slightly frightened, afraid that he would screw up again, and Hitomi could see that. 

"I..." Van was about to continue, when Hitomi went on her tippy toes slightly and caught Van's lips with her own. 

Surprise was his first reaction, and when his lips parted slightly in shock she took the opportunity to timidly enter her velvet tongue into his minty mouth. Fire scorched Van's body, and his hands rested them selves on her hips , slowly moving to the small of her back then lower. Hitomi wrapped her arms around Van's neck, in fear of falling from her weak knees. 

So, the two stubborn lovers had finally hooked up. What had kept them apart for so long? 

_Fear_ they both thought in unison. Fear of rejection. Fear from the other person in which they thought was perfection. Part of the reason why they had taunted each other so often before, as a defense mechanism. However, over time it had grown into affectionate teasing, and from that into secret love. Building emotions they had been so used to bottling up and hiding, feelings that had begun to be so hard to hide... 

"Mm..." Hitomi moaned as Van slanted his mouth over hers, "Let's forget about dinner," she suggested, a devilish twinkle in her eyes, "And listen to those advisors of yours just for fun." To her surprise, a sheepish expression went on Van's face. 

"Um... Could we at least try some of the fish?" he asked, his voice sort of strained. 

"Why, are you hungry?" asked Hitomi, laughing slightly at Van's expression. 

"Well.... Um.... The thing is...." Van attempted, his tongue tying itself up. 

"What he means to say is that he's terrified of fish and he actually wrestled the monster himself and he wants you to at least eat some of his work," came a voice. Van whirled around to find a cackling Merle. 

"Merle, what are you doing here?!?" Van demanded, ready to box Merle's ears off. 

"I just wanted to make everything was going smoothly, I planned to leave since things were heating up," she smirked, then yelping when Van took a threatening step towards her. "Okay, I'm leaving," she chirped hastily, before scuttling away. 

Van turned around, a faint blush on his face. 

"You're afraid of fish?" Hitomi grinned. Van flushed like crazy and went into another one of his mumbling routines. "Don't worry," Hitomi smiled, putting on hand on his face gently, "I think it's cute," she laughed, her emerald green eyes softening. 

"What?" Van asked, confused, his voice slightly hysterical. 

"Mr. Big Warrior King afraid of fish," she smiled, her lips irresistibly close to his, "It's cute". Fluttering her eyes shut, she met his lips again, and he gently pried her lips open with his tongue and explored the intoxicating sweetness of her mouth, her taste like an ever lasting drug. 

"Did I tell you I'm afraid of platypuses?" grinned Van in between fiery kisses. 

"Mm... Really?" replied Hitomi, deepening the kiss, "You know, we could get the servants to wrap up the fish for later..." she trailed off coyly, her green eyes sparkling. 

"Now why didn't I think of that?" grinned Van, drawing Hitomi's body in closer with his hands. 

"Because I'm smarter," teased Hitomi, and Van's eyes flickered hungrily. 

"Oh yeah?" Van growled, and with that he carried Hitomi in his arms into the palace, and he strode purposefully through the halls as Hitomi giggled uncharacteristically. 

"Charles," Van called out to the familiar servant, "Wrap up in the fish for later," he instructed, and for once Charles didn't wail about his children, merely looked at the King and Queen oddly and scurried away. Looking straight into Hitomi's green eyes with his own sienna brown ones, Van planted a gentle kiss on her lips before kicking open his bedroom doors. Setting her down gently on the bed, Van leaned in close to Hitomi's face, his lips playing just above hers. 

"Let's give Fanelia an heir," Hitomi smiled, her voice slightly husky. Claiming her lips with his own, Van toyed with the strings of Hitomi's dress as she leaned back, love radiating from them. 

***

_Mmm.  
Bliss._

Waking up in strong arms, Hitomi turned around to see Van still sleeping, and she snuggled deeper into his chest, sighing all happily. Letting the morning sunlight play on her eyelids, Hitomi stretched her arms slightly, then collapsed back into Van's chest. She felt good. Sated. Last night was just... 

Well let's just say it was... 

Oh, come on. You don't need to know _that._ Anyways, can't you use your imagination? Of course you can. 

Hitomi gently walked her fingers on Van's warm skin, memorizing his body. She realized he had incredibly sexy shoulders. She had never even noticed his shoulders last night. In fact, all in all he was pretty damn sexy-- 

"That tickles," came a groggy voice. Hitomi smiled up at Van's shut eyes, as they gently opened. Neither of them moved, content in each other's arms. 

"Hey," Hitomi murmured softly, smiling happily up at her husband. "Did you realize we haven't argued in 10 hours while in each other's company?" 

"Must be a record," grinned Van, gently bringing in Hitomi closer to him. 

"Mm..." smiled Hitomi, resting her head against his strong chest, feeling happy and safe. They lay there in comforting silence, the room slowly become more and more illuminated by the approaching day. 

"You know what would be fun?" Van suddenly said, an evil glint coming to his eyes. 

"What?" asked Hitomi, an amused smile playing on her lips. 

"That we keep this a secret for a bit just to annoy my advisors," he said with a sort of dreamy expression as he caressed Hitomi's palm with his thumb. 

"You're so nice," teased Hitomi, and Van kissed her on the forehead softly, a devilish grin on his lips. 

"I am," he replied with a laugh, and Hitomi rolled lazily on top of him and stared down at him, grinning. 

"It's why I love you" she smiled, planting a kiss on his lips. 

**AN: Gyah! Cheesy, n'est pas? And For Love is now done! That was the last chapter! Please review, or I'll feel discouraged ;_; Hehe.... Well ta ta for now, now I must battle the story known as "Nobody Said It Was Easy"... My weak spot. If you intend to insult me, do it there! Haha, but please don't I'm sensitive ._. Hehehee *cackles* But I DO appreciate honesty, constructive criticism, if you will ^_^ **

  


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